Where is home?
by Lyvance Callele
Summary: Naru and Mai are in Amsterdam, Naru's father is on his tail to get him back home, lies are exposed, realizations hit and this time, Naru asks... Sequel to Key. Warning: has same irritating and confusing plot as prequels
1. Chapter 1

_So I realized I might as well just end the whole Ghost Hunt fanfic of mine in a good light so here's the sequel to Key. _

_Please read and review. ^ _v_ ^ ADVANCE HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY / HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!_

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><p>"My apologies," Oswald said as he walked into the reception room where Lin and Detective Baehler were – both of them seated on a couch. "The house is still a bit messy. We just moved here, you see."<p>

"We understand," Lin said.

Oswald smiled and took a seat across them. "…Tea?"

"No thank you," Lin answered. "We're in a hurry. This is Detective Baehler by the way," he said introducing the detective beside him.

Baehler nodded and shook Oswald's out reached hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Mortimer," he said.

"The honour is mine," Oswald replied. "And what can I do for you today?"

"We wish to speak with Ms. Taniyama," Lin said eyeing Oswald carefully.

Oswald stared at him for a moment before he smirked. "May I know exactly why you wish to speak to her?"

"I wish to confirm her presence in your household at this very moment," Lin answered. "According to the immigration records we checked, she did not reach France with you and your household."

Oswald chuckled. "Why then are you here asking to see her? You've already consulted the authorities."

"You did help them elope then," Lin said.

Oswald leaned back on his chair laughing. "Mr. Lin, are you saying Dr. Davis is missing?"

"Where is Ms. Taniyama?" Lin asked.

Oswald shook his head, smiling. "Last time I checked, she went with a friend of hers back to Japan. Her friend's name is in Japanese though so I'm not sure if I remember his name correctly."

Lin's eyes narrowed. "They went to Japan?"

"Ms. Taniyama and his Japanese friend, yes," Oswald answered. "She misses her home and she had been a good servant to me. I saw no reason to keep her here further when her heart yearned for her home."

Lin nodded and stood up with Baehler. "That is all we need, thank you," he said.

Oswald smirked. "If you don't mind me asking, Mr. Lin," he began as he stood up. "I heard Dr. Davis shared a special bond with Ms. Taniyama despite his parents pushing him to marry the Science Minister's daughter. Is that why you thought Dr. Davis eloped with Ms. Taniyama?"

"I will leave that to your imagination, Mr. Mortimer," Lin answered heading to the door. "Thank you for your help."

Oswald eyed Lin carefully. "Does this mean you don't approve of Dr. Davis' move to follow his heart, assuming that he did love her and that he did elope with her?"

Lin stopped by the door. "I work for Professor Martin Davis," he answered before he and Baehler walked out of the door.

Oswald's face turned serious.

Wasn't Lin supposed to be on Oliver's side?

* * *

><p>It was slightly dark when the cab dropped Naru and Mai off in front of a tall newly painted steel gate.<p>

There was a drive way beyond the gate that led to the house.

"Wow! Your friend must be just as rich as Master Mortimer!" Mai said gazing at the two-story house beyond the steel gate.

Naru looked at it and noticed how the vines complemented the look of the mansion.

Norringbent had good taste.

Naru walked to the gate and pulled out the gold keys from his pocket.

"Hey, shouldn't we ring the doorbell first?" Mai asked.

But Naru already unlocked the gate.

"Oh," Mai said carrying her bag as Naru pushed the gate open. "So you have your friend's keys. Doorbell isn't working?"

Naru ignored her question and instead noted how silent the gate was when he pushed it.

Oswald must have also ordered Jimmy the servant to oil the hinges of the gate after painting it.

Naru carried his bag in one hand and walked in, hearing Mai's footsteps behind him.

Mai paused for a moment and closed the gate behind her.

Naru went on to walk closer to the house.

It was more like a chateau than a typical house. And the vines, covering the white washed walls of the house, accented its design well.

It had a vast porch that led to the tall wooden front doors. It had a gold lion head door knocker.

"Oh," Mai said noticing the door knocker. "They don't have door bells then, huh? That's why you have the keys to the gate."

Naru kept himself from smirking.

Sometimes he just couldn't help but feel amazed at Mai's logic.

Naru pulled out the keys from his pocket again and began unlocking the door.

"Hey wait! Aren't we supposed to use that door knocker?" Mai said trying to stop Naru from twisting the key that Naru fixed into the keyhole.

But before she could pull Naru's hand away, they both heard a click. Naru pushed the door open and walked into the house without a word.

Mai stared shocked at Naru.

Wasn't this a house that Naru's friend owned? Why did he just walk in as if it was his own home?

Naru was already on the large staircase that faced the door, examining the painting on the ceiling when he noticed Mai was still by the door. He raised a brow and stared at her.

"Are you going to spend the night there?" he asked.

Mai jolted and quickly walked in, pulling the door behind her.

Naru walked further up the stairs.

Mai looked around and noticed how empty the first room in front of the stairs was. It had a new carpet but it had no furniture in it.

"You're friend isn't here, is he?" Mai asked walking up the stairs to make sure Naru heard her. Her voice echoed in the house but didn't seem loud enough since Naru went on walking up the stairs. "And he just moved here, right? There's no furniture there in the living room."

"It's called a lobby," Naru said as he reached the second floor. "The living room is at the right side of the lobby."

Mai stiffened, feeling blood rush up her cheeks.

She worked in a mansion and she didn't know that part of a house? …Shame.

"Oh," Mai said. "Well, I didn't know." She said reaching the second floor. She saw a long hallway that stretched from left to right. She noticed how many doors were there on the two opposite walls of the hallway.

"Wow," she gasped. "No wonder this house is huge." She looked at Naru and noticed that he was already opening one of the doors.

Mai walked beside Naru and watched him push the door open to reveal a spacious bedroom. She couldn't help but gape at the room.

The room, in comparison to the bedrooms she cleaned in Master Mortimer's mansion, was huge!

It had a king size four-post bed with a thick quilt blanket. About ten steps from the bed were 3 pairs of doors that, Mai figured, led to the wardrobe.

There was also a big vanity set near the bed. The wooden frame of the mirror was sculpted with flowers. On the other side of the bed was a small wooden table lamp shade with an intricate painting of flowers and butterflies.

Across the door was a big window with layers of red and gold curtains. It had a gold rope on the side that was most likely used to secure it to let the sunlight in.

And it had flowery vines painted on the ceiling.

Naru had already opened one of the wardrobe doors when he noticed how Mai gawked at the ceiling.

He smirked.

"You're not going to unpack your things?"

Mai jolted from staring at the ceiling and quickly walked to the wardrobe door next to Naru's. She opened the door without thinking.

Naru eyed her carefully before he walked to the bed and placed his luggage on it. He unzipped it and began unpacking his clothes. He left it open on the bed.

Mai froze when she noticed that Naru was placing his neatly folded clothes into the wardrobe.

"Wait," she said. "This isn't my room, is it?" she stiffly said – her cheeks scarlet. "I'm so sorry! I'm really sorry," she cried leaping frantically away from the wardrobe and looking away from Naru. "I'll go look for my room," she said turning to walk to the door.

Naru watched her hastily turn, noticing how close her feet were to the ends of the bed sheet.

Mai stepped her foot forward and unfortunately got it caught on the end of the bedsheet near her feet.

A shriek and a loud 'thump,' followed by faint crashing sounds echoed in the room.

Mai ended up on the floor, her behind cushioning her fall and Naru's things scattered around her. She was too busy wincing at the pain she felt from the fall to realize how far her legs were from each other.

Naru froze and stared at her for a moment, trying hard not to blush at the sight in front of him.

...So Mai still wore those black cycling shorts underneath her mini-skirt.

Mai felt Naru's stare and realized that his eyes were fixed at something in between her splayed legs. She gasped in shock, picked up the object that was nearest to her hand and threw it hard on Naru's straight face, screaming, "Pervert!"

Naru felt the paper hit his face hard but he didn't react to it. He just let it fall on the floor after it his beautifully sculpted nose. He stared at Mai once more – this time with his eyes fixed at her face.

Mai was sure her face was in a deep shade of red. She could feel the heat that her cheeks were giving off.

"Are you going to keep showing that to me?" Naru asked.

Mai stiffened and realized that her legs were still far from each other. She quickly covered the space between her legs and fixed her seated position on the floor.

She also looked away in shame.

Naru turned away and went on arranging his things in the wardrobe.

Mai covered her face with her hands and shook her head, silently cursing her clumsiness and idiocy. She took a deep breath to calm herself before she put her hands down and looked at the scattered things on the floor.

She noticed that the object she threw at Naru was a booklet – a passport. Thinking it was Naru's she picked it up to put it back in Naru's luggage.

Mai tried to straigten the crumpled pages of the passport. She froze when she saw a picture of her on it. She looked at the name and noticed that it wasn't under Mai Taniyama.

It was instead under the name of Maia "Mai" Kazuya.

Mai then spotted another passport in the pile of clothes that fell on the floor. She quickly took it and examined its pages.

It had Naru's picture on it but it was also under a different name – Narumi Kazuya.

Mai froze at the civil status on Naru's passport.

...Married? And they had the same surname...

Mai looked at the passport that had her picture on and checked its civil status.

Mai's jaw dropped in awe. Her cheeks burned at the realization.

Naru turned away from the wardrobe to pick up his clothes and place them on the hanger. But before he could kneel down to pick his things up, he saw Mai looking flushed and shocked at the two passports in her hand.

Naru stared at her, waiting for what else Mai would do at the knowledge that she had been fooled.

Would she even come to a conclusion that he 'kidnapped' her?

Mai felt Naru's stare so she looked up at him. "What is this? What's the meaning of this?" she asked teary eyed, hands shaking.

Naru kept his straight face. "Those are passports."

"I know what they are!" Mai snapped. "I want to know **why** you have my passport, **why** it's under a different name, **why **your passport is under a different name, and **why**, according to these passports, **we are married**!"

Naru just stared at her.

"Did you plan this? Did you plan all of this?" Mai asked. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Did you kidnap me?"

"I would kidnap you," Naru said in a tone that spelled sarcasm, but only out of reflex.

What do you know? She actually realized that she was kidnapped.

Mai glared at Naru before she stood up and hit his chest several times with her fist.

"I hate you! I hate you," she screamed as Naru held her arms to stop her from hitting him further. "I hate you! I trusted you Naru! I trusted you! I believed in you!"

Naru winced and pulled her closer to his chest. "Mai," he said. "...Mai. Mai, listen to me."

"No! No! How could you do this to me?" she cried shaking her head furiously. "I trusted you, Naru! I belived in you! I thought you would care for me, and you would protect me–"

"I **am **protecting you," Naru reasoned.

"You **kidnapped** me!" Mai snapped, glaring at him – tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Again with the word," Naru muttered.

"Don't tell me I'm an idiot for using that word," Mai cried pulling herself free from his grasp. "I know a kidnapping when I see one! And you! You of all people! You disgust me!"

Mai ran out of the room in haste.

Naru sighed after watching her disappear from the door.

It was useless – trying to reason with her when her temper was that high.

Naru heard a sigh from the mirror on the wardrobe door. He turned around and saw his reflection staring sympathetically at him.

"She's upset," his reflection said.

Naru glared at him. "I know that," he snapped.

His reflection smirked. "You better go fixed that."

Naru looked away, unconsciously pouting. "I know that too," he muttered.

"Go fix it then, idiot scientist," his reflection said.

Naru closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose before he walked to the door. He paused and thought of how he could fix it.

"Time is ticking, little brother," his reflection said. "You better fix that now or you won't get laid tonight."

Naru glared at his reflection. "You're lucky I'm not in the mood to exorcise you," he said before he stomped out of the room.

Gene chuckled. "…You idiot scientist!"


	2. Chapter 2

_Well that was overwhelming - 182 hits for Chapter 1? LOL_

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing 'Where is home?' I also thank you for reading my two other Ghost Hunt fanfictions. I really didn't think my stories would have such loyal fans ^ _v

_Anyway, here's another chapter for this week. As you may have noticed, I'm aiming for uploading one chapter a week since this is **supposedly** the last installment for the Ghost Hunt fanfiction series of mine. **Supposedly.**_

_Please read and don't hesitate to tell me what you all think about it. I'm reading comments about how cool Gene is in the last chapter, and how Mai should be happy she's "married" to Naru, hahaha! _

_Hope you all enjoy this one too!_

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><p>Lin sat staring at nowhere as he and Baehler rode the train to London.<p>

He had two options for the problem he was dealing with at the moment. The first option was to believe Mortimer's claim that Taniyama was already back in Japan with another Japanese person, and go with the professor's plan of going to Japan.

The second option was to believe that Mortimer was lying about Taniyama's location and to scour the rest of Europe to find Noll.

...Or check all of Norringbent's properties first since Mortimer could have lent Noll one of them.

Lin sighed.

...Or was he just being too imaginative in that last part?

Baehler chuckled. "I don't get this at all," he said as he sipped a cup of coffee he took from the dining car.

Lin looked at him – eye brows raised in query.

"Why are you all fussing about this like the doctor is some confused teenager?" Baehler asked. "He's of legal marrying age. He should be able to marry and bang whoever he wishes to marry and bang."

Lin sighed.

He had a point. Noll was old enough to decide for himself.

Heck! He had been deciding for himself even at the age where he wasn't supposed to decide for himself yet.

He decided how and what he would study, how he would dress up, how he would get his degree, how he would finish it, how he would make a living, how he would solve the most notorious SPR cases, how he would get Gene's body back...

And he had made a number of right choices in his life.

Why not trust him now?

Lin looked out the window. "Tell that to the professor," he said.

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><p>Mai sat on the porch steps before the front door.<p>

She planned to run away from the house and ride a train back to London, but she realized she needed a passport, a ticket and money to do it – something only Naru had at that moment.

So she sat down to cry her heart out and think things over.

She didn't know how long it had been. She just knew that her tears had stopped falling, and that her brain had formulated reasons to defend Naru.

Mai took a deep breath and sighed. She wiped her eyes.

She was hopeless.

Couldn't she really hate Naru? **Really** hate him?

Mai suddenly smelled tea and felt a warm blanket fall gently on her shoulders.

She looked up and saw Naru standing behind her – his free hand holding a cup of tea.

His face was apathetic as usual.

Mai looked shyly away.

Naru offered her the cup of tea.

She took it and mumbled a 'thank you.'

Naru then sat down beside her – eyes fixed at the night devouring everything in front of him.

"How long did you plan all of this?" Mai asked weakly as she stared at the tea.

"A while," Naru answered.

Mai rolled her eyes. "Jerk," she muttered.

Naru tried not to smirk.

Mai wasn't mad at him anymore.

"You had help?" Mai asked before sipping the tea.

"I had people, yes," Naru answered.

Mai glared at Naru. "You really can't swallow your pride, huh?"

Naru ignored it and kept his eyes on the evening scape.

Mai sighed. "Does Master Mortimer know this?"

"This is one of their properties," Naru answered.

Mai took a deep breath and sighed. "I should've known you didn't have any friends here," she muttered. "Heck, you don't have any friends! A man like you **can't** have any friends!"

Naru looked at Mai from the corner of his eyes. "Am I supposed to laugh at that?"

Mai glared at Naru – her lips in a pout. "That was a snide comment," she muttered.

Naru looked back at the scenery. "I thought so," he said. "You've always been lame at making one."

Mai's hands shivered in fury. "You're lucky I still have my manners," she muttered – imagining how Naru would look like once she poured the contents of the steaming cup of tea on his neatly combed hair.

Naru looked at Mai. "If pouring that on me would make you feel better, go ahead."

Mai stared shocked at Naru. Blood rushed to her cheeks.

…He looked so sad and handsome...

Mai looked away, her cheeks still flushed. "It won't be enough to make me feel better," she said.

Naru looked back at the view. He could barely see the gate.

Mai stared at the cup of tea. "Do Florence and Edmund know?" she asked.

"Yes," Naru answered.

Mai scowled.

So everyone was in on the ploy except for her.

"If you chose to stay with them, this wouldn't push through," Naru said.

Mai looked up at Naru – eye brows raised. "You…would throw all the planning you made away if I chose to stay in London?"

"Need I explain everything in detail for you?" Naru asked glancing at Mai.

Mai glared at him. "I **got** it! I was just clarifying what I heard, okay?"

Naru looked up at the night sky.

Mai sighed. "So you just didn't want me to stay with Master Mortimer," she said.

Naru didn't answer.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Mai asked looking up at Naru.

"If I told you, would you stay in London?" Naru asked before he looked back at Mai. "Would you come here with me?"

Mai stiffened. Her cheeks were in flames.

If Naru asked her, it would sound like he was asking her to elope with him. They weren't even in a relationship! What would his parents say? What would people think of him?

"NO!" Mai said looking away.

"Exactly," Naru said turning back to the night sky.

Mai sighed and looked down at her tea.

They stayed silent for a while before Naru stood up and turned to go back to the house.

"Naru."

Naru paused and waited for her to say something.

"You're not going to apologize, are you?"

"People apologize when they regret doing things," Naru said.

Mai looked up at Naru.

"I don't regret anything," Naru said, his back still facing Mai.

Mai froze. She felt her cheeks warm up again.

"Come inside," Naru said. "You'll catch a cold." He then walked to the door.

"Wait!" she called quickly standing up and turning to face him.

Naru stopped by the door but didn't face her.

Mai's hands were shaking. "Why did you take me? Why did you take me with you?"

Naru's lips pouted childishly. "I don't want to look for you again," he answered. He then walked into the house.

Mai felt like she was melting. Her cheeks were in flames. Her heart was beating frantically against her chest.

She wanted to scream and jump in excitement.

Naru's answer meant that he cared, right? He cared for her?

* * *

><p>Naru walked up the stairs.<p>

He thought the answer he gave Mai over .

'I don't want to look for you again' – that was true. Looking for her was a horrible experience. Two years without a word about her? Insane!

And he couldn't just go to Rouen without alerting his parents. They would look for a way to stop him from even making visits to France.

Naru sighed.

Hopefully Mai didn't get it. She was that dense wasn't she?

Naru reached the room and walked to the wardrobe. He saw his reflection on its mirror again. And this time, his reflection was smirking brightly at him.

"Ah. You **will** get laid tonight after all," his reflection said.

"Shut it, Gene," Naru snapped – his cheeks scarlet.


	3. Chapter 3

_THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR READING AND REVIEWING '"WHERE IS HOME?"_ ^ v ^

_I still can't believe how many people are actually reading my Ghost Hunt fanfictions, hehehe._

_Hi _maixnaru love_! Sorry, I'm not that good in French mais je comprends comment vous vous sentez quand vous lisez les terminaisons tristes. Je pense que trop, quand je lis les terminaisons tristes. Je ne peux pas vous dire ce que sera la fin. Je crains que si je le fais, je serais révélant toute la parcelle pour vous. Mais je peux vous dire que la fin n'est pas censé faire les lecteurs triste, contrairement à celle de 'Are you happy?' Je sais d'après les commentaires que les gens s'attendent à ce qu'ils se marier et avoir des enfants. Je suis un grand fan de l'imprévisibilité. J'aime écrire ce que les gens ne s'attendent pas à lire. Donc, je ne peux pas vous promettre qu'ils auront cette fin de conte de fées idéal. mais je peux vous promettre que la fin ne visera pas pour les lecteurs d'être le cœur brisé._

_Whew...I end up mixing grammar rules for various languages when I shift from one language to another. But if my reply is still confusing, just tell me, okay? ^ _v _^ I'll see what I can do._

_Anyway, here's another chapter for this story. Please read and review! You can ask questions, like in 'Scroll,' and like what maixnaru love just did. I'll try to answer your questions but only if I think it won't be revealing important details about the plot of the story (please note the disclaimer for this story). _

_I've read some questions about the story in the reviews and I'll try to answer them either by uploading the chapter containing the answers to it (which would take some time depending on waht part of the story the answer is in), or by writing my reply on the following chapters' AN. _

_I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Don't hesitate to tell me what you think about it. _

_Ghost Hunt is not mine. _

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><p>"Noll got off the train in Lille," Lin said as he stood across Madoka in the library.<p>

He had arrived in London with Baehler and had already relayed what they learned from their investigations to the professor. After they left the professor's office, Lin asked Baehler to look for any information he could find about Oswald's inheritance, most specifically the Norringbent land properties.

Lin saw Madoka in the library after he led Baehler to the door.

"He spent the night in Suite Novotel before he rode the train back to London," Lin finished.

"Why didn't we learn about this sooner?" Madoka asked leaning her back by the window.

"He used a different passport," Lin said. "I'm thinking of a forged one."

"You mean Oliver's working with a forger?"

"Baehler and I believe so," Lin answered. "And he's working with a professional one."

Madoka turned away from Lin in deep thought. "If that's the case," she said. "There's a greater possibility that our trip to Japan would be useless." She turned and looked up at Lin. "Koujo, Noll could use another passport so the immigration won't register his entry there. We'll be blinder than we were when he ran away to Japan two years ago."

Lin's face turned more serious. "Madoka, this is Noll," he said. "This is Noll who has access to tools he didn't have access to two years ago."

Madoka stiffened.

"Madoka, Gene and Noll have a joined account that they kept hidden from their parents," Lin said. "You asked me ten years ago why the twins don't save that much in the bank accounts their parents made for them. I'm telling you the answer right now."

Madoka prepared herself for the worst.

"They made a separate bank account," Lin said. "…An account that I know still exists today. I was there when they made it. I acted as their guardian. Now that Gene is gone, and Noll is of age, I lost control over keeping track of the account. I was able to confirm that it is still active. If that's the case, Noll can have enough money to buy plane tickets to places other than Japan."

"Oh no," Madoka mumbled weakly.

"Oh yes," Lin said. "Noll could even be somewhere here in Europe for all we know."

Madoka bit her lips.

"I've sent Baehler to do further investigations here in Europe while we're in Japan," Lin said.

Madoka sighed and looked away. "Koujo," she said. "Is this…Is this really right?"

Lin knew well what Madoka meant. He pulled her closer and held her against his chest.

"We work for the professor," he said. "Let's just hope Noll does the right thing now, just like he usually does."

Madoka nodded.

* * *

><p>Mai yawned.<p>

She had just finished washing the dishes after she and Naru had their supper. They were lucky the kitchen had some canned goods stored in the pantry.

Then of course, Oswald Mortimer might have made sure there was food there that they could use since he was in on the plan to "kidnap" Mai and keep her in Amsterdam.

Mai sighed.

She still couldn't believe that Naru "kidnapped" her. It was simply illogical! And Naru was anything **but** illogical.

Mai walked out of the kitchen and looked at the lobby and living room.

The house was very cozy despite its spaciousness. The living room had a luxurious sofa set with scarlet cushions, a center table that matched the furniture, a fireplace and a side table in the corner where a hand-painted lampshade sat, a grandfather clock, some sculptures and vases, a warm colourful carpet that covered the floor, a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling ...

It was far more extravagant than the Norringbent house in England.

There were also cabinets and shelves in the living room that faced the sofa set. One of them, Mai noticed as she opened the cabinet doors, housed a flat-screen 18" TV. The two cabinet doors next to the TV covered the sound system. And the slimmest cabinet door that slid up below the TV hid the cable box and DVD player.

Mai couldn't keep herself from gasping in awe.

The entertainment set looked brand new.

Surely, Master Mortimer didn't just decide to buy those things for her and Naru.

Mai closed the cabinet doors and noticed that there was a large drawer below the wooden cabinets. She pulled it and gasped as she saw a collection of DVD movies stacked neatly with letter tags.

She read the titles and noticed that it included Japanese movies. Most of them were romance movies.

Mai smiled, shaking her head.

Who would watch that many movies?

Her eyes wondered at a particular row of DVDs and noticed that the movies there were...

Blood rushed to her cheeks.

She quickly shut the drawer.

WHY WOULD MASTER MORTIMER KEEP THOSE DVDS?

Mai took several deep breaths to calm her self.

Perhaps she should get some rest. It **had** been a long day.

Mai walked up to the stairs thinking of nothing but what she was about to do – change into some sleeping clothes, brush her teeth, and go to sleep.

She walked to the room and noticed that the door was open. She looked inside and saw Naru seated on the bed – his feet already under the covers, his back leaning against the pillows on the bed's headboard, and his eyes fixed on an open book he held in his hand.

Mai felt her cheeks burn, remembering the movies she saw in the drawer.

She quickly shook her head and took several deep breaths.

She sighed before she went into the room, trying hard not to notice how stunning Naru's profile was against the warm light of the lampshade beside him. She looked for her luggage and found it empty near the open wardrobe.

Mai wondered why Naru left the wardrobe door open and realized that the open wardrobe contained her clothes.

Mai tried hard not to gasp as she checked her things.

They were all there – even her underwear, tucked neatly in the stack of wardrobe drawers.

Mai covered her burning face.

Naru looked up, seeing Mai stiff and staring at the open drawer of the wardrobe.

He tried not to blush.

It wasn't like he wanted to do anything with her underwear. His annoying dead twin just insisted that he place her clothes in the wardrobe since she was still a bit upset about the "kidnapping" incident.

And doing it seemed like the only way he could make Mai understand that they had to share the room.

So Naru put her clothes in her part of the huge wardrobe. And no, he did not fold the pairs of underwear.

...Well, just the ones that needed folding...Which was all of them since it didn't fit in the drawers without being folded differently...

Naru kept his eyes on his book, ignoring how bad it was for his eyes.

Hopefully the dim lighting of the room hid the red tint on his face.

"Th-Thank you," Mai said bowing shyly at Naru.

Naru ignored it and kept quiet.

Mai turned stiffly away and took a towel and a pair of pajamas. She checked the drawers for her toiletries but they didn't seem to be anywhere inside the drawers or inside her luggage.

"Bathroom," Naru said.

Mai raised a brow at Naru and realized that he said. "Oh, thanks!" she said before she looked for the bathroom, which wasn't that hard to find since Naru left it's door open.

Mai walked in and gasped at how large it was.

It looked just a bit smaller than the bedroom. Its floor was made of cold marble, the wide white lathery looked like something you would find in a high-class hotel, and it had gold rods accenting the white drapes covering the white-washed tile walls.

She noticed that the bathroom had three sub-rooms that were separated by glass sliding doors. The first one was a room for the toilet, complete with a stash of toilet paper. The second one was a room for the grandeous bathtub that seemed big enough for two people. The third one was for an overhead shower that, like the bathtub, seemed spacious enough for two people to use simultaneously.

Mai felt her cheeks burn again, remembering the DVDs and realizing how big the bathtub and shower area were.

She quickly shook her head and walked back to the lathery. She looked up at the mirror and noticed how big it was. It seemed to have covered the upper half of the wall.

Mai sighed.

Cleaning the bathroom would be one hell of a house chore.

She looked at the lathery counter and saw her toiletries neatly arranged with the scented candles and flowers.

If she didn't know Naru better, she would think that Naru made the lathery especially romantic for her. But Naru wasn't like that. He was anything but romantic.

Mai shrugged her shoulders and picked up her toothbrush. While brushing her teeth, she wondered if she would need to take a shower...or a soak in the tub.

She looked longingly at the tub.

It's been a long while since she sunk herself in a tub. That last time she did so was more about three or four years ago – when she went to the thing closest to a tub that she could use, a public bath back in Japan.

She brushed her teeth, still looking at the tub longingly...

...And saw Naru walk into the range of her vision, opening the glass door to the bathtub and opening the faucet to fill the tub with hot water.

He then walked passed her.

"Don't take long," he said. "You'll catch a cold."

Mai wanted to melt the moment Naru walked out of the bathroom.

It was only when Naru walked passed her that she realized how moist his hair was and how fragrant he smelled.

Long story short, Naru had already tried the bathtub.

Mai bit her lips from squealing.

It was as if she was having her honeymoon night...if honeymoon nights started that way.

She quickly slapped herself several times to keep her thoughts away from the DVD movies she found in the living room.

She and Naru were not there to do such a thing. They were there to...to...They were there to...

...Why **were** they there?

Mai glared at her reflection in the mirror.

"Shut up," she muttered. "Naru is **not** like that."

She then looked at the bathtub for a good long minute.

Naru heard the glass door slide from where he sat on the bed. He looked up at the wall across him and heard a muted splash, no doubt coming from the water-filled bathtub.

He knew Mai would want to use the bathtub once she saw it. **He** did. That's why he already made sure that it could be used.

* * *

><p>Charlotte sat on the couch – her face unreadable.<p>

She went to the Davis house to tell Oliver that she knew about the woman he married, and that because he still couldn't present the woman to his parents, she would consider his commitment and marriage to the woman named 'Mai' a hoax.

And for that, she would not give up on him.

But to her surprise, she found the Davis household in chaos. Servants were preparing clothes and luggages. Lin and the professor were busy making calls, and Madoka was checking flights online.

Luella was kind enough to entertain her visit...and tell her that Oliver was missing.

"I'm terribly sorry, Charlotte," Luella said sitting across Charlotte and seeing a mixture of various negative emotions on her face.

Charlotte shook her head. "How...How did this happen?"

"He was supposed to go to Zurich for a case," Luella said. "Lin followed him there and he found out that the address of the house, where the case is, led to a long abandoned lot."

"Have you called the police?" Charlotte asked. "...Scotland Yard? Interpol..? I'll call my father right now."

"No, dear," Luella quickly said. "We don't think he was kidnapped."

"Why did he vanish then?" Charlotte anxiously asked.

"Lin consulted a detective about it," Luella said holding Charlotte's hand. "They've done some investigation and...Dear, we don't think Oliver was kidnapped."

"How could you be sure about that?" Charlotte asked. "He's **missing**!"

"Charlotte, dear," Luella calmy said. "I need to tell you something we didn't discuss to you before we spoke about the engagement."

Charlotte stiffened.

...The marriage? THE SOCIAL-CLIMBING WOMAN BLACKMAILED OLIVER TO LEAVE LONDON WITH HER!

"Honey, Oliver went to Japan two years ago to get Gene's body," Luella said carefully. "We didn't approve of his trip so he ran away from us and went to Japan on his own. He knew we would search the hotels and the embassy records for him so he used a different name and lived with..."

"...A Japanese woman," Charlotte shakily said. "I heard. And she was here in London. And he met her."

Luella didn't know what to say. She knew how much Charlotte wanted the engagement to push through – how much she loved Noll.

But Noll had chosen the woman he wanted to grow old with...and unfortunately, it wasn't Charlotte.

"Was she pregnant?" Charlotte asked.

Luella stiffened. "Pregnant..?"

"Yes," Charlotte said. "They were married, weren't they? Was she pregnant? Was that how she lured him to get him out of the country?"


	4. Chapter 4

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing "Where is home?" My, am I sorry for Charlotte. I realized, upon reading the reviews, just how evil I've been to her. Oh well. She's quite thick for her own good anyway. _

_And Naru, a pervert? Oh dear. I've got lots of fixing to do, huh?_

_Anyway, I'm glad that a lot of you enjoyed it. Here's another chapter for 'Where is home?' Do tell me what you think about it!_

* * *

><p>Luella could only stare in shock at Charlotte.<p>

She didn't even know that Noll and Taniyama were married. And if they **were **married, wouldn't it be illegal? They weren't of legal age back then after all.

And if she already had a grandchild, Noll wouldn't act embarrassed on the phone when she told him to call her the moment he had made her grandchild...or would he?

No.

His son was still a virgin. And judging by how Noll eloped with or rather "kidnapped" Taniyama since Noll seemed to have deceived Taniyama into going with him somewhere, she was a virgin too.

The analysis in her head made her sigh.

For a moment there, she really thought she already having a grand child on the way. Perhaps she should have taught Noll to just do it with the woman he thought he would spend the rest of his life with.

She wasn't getting any younger afterall.

"We're not sure of that," Madoka interrupted, tired of hearing Charlotte's possessive rants and false accusations about Mai.

She was sure that Mai wasn't pregnant. She was really hoping that she **was**, though. But she knew Noll was too intelligent and careful to be that careless...but she also didn't want the great Charlotte to get back to her pompous throne just yet.

Noll had made up his mind. And Charlotte should learn to respect it.

So why tell her straight that Mai wasn't pregnant?

Luella looked at Madoka and knew by the way she faced Charlotte that she preferred Taniyama Mai over Charlotte Weist.

Luella bit her lips from smirking.

"We're planning to go to Japan to check if Noll is there," Madoka continued. "Lin said Mai left London with a Japanese friend to Japan."

Charlotte scowled. "She even went to Japan with another lover," she muttered.

"The friend was a girl," Madoka corrected.

...Although she wasn't sure of the gender of the "friend." The "friend" might actually even be Noll.

Didn't Charlotte think of that possibility?

Luella drank the tea she served, feeling the tension between the two.

Charlotte looked away embarrassed. "It must have been bait," she said. "They threatened Oliver that he won't see his child again. So he followed them there."

Madoka wanted to roll her eyes.

The girl was quite imaginative for a scientist.

Luella ignored it. "We'll tell you what we find out about Noll's whereabouts," she said. "I'm hopeful that we'll get him back home."

She was also hopeful that by the time that happened, Taniyama Mai was already pregnant with her grand child so Martin wouldn't be able to object to the idea of welcoming Mai in the family.

* * *

><p>Mai walked out of the bathroom in a pair of pajamas while she dried the moist strands of her hair with a towel.<p>

She had already used the hair drier after she got dressed from bathing in the tub. But she didn't use the drier long enough, fearing about how much it would affect their monthly electricity bill.

The house was huge after all, and merely keeping the lights on in the house was sure to be expensive.

She saw that Naru was still awake on the bed – the book he was reading still open. It was then that he noticed that Naru was also in his sleeping wear.

He wore a pair of blue pajamas under a black sleeping robe.

Mai looked away, feeling heat rush to her cheeks.

It **was** quite chilly. Perhaps she should have brought a sleeping robe for herself as well.

Mai walked to her luggage and unzipped it - the clothes she wore earlier folded neatly and tucked tightly in her armpit.

"Laundry bin," she heard Naru say.

She looked at him and saw his index finger pointing toward the wall near the wardrobe.

Mai walked to the spot and noticed that there was another door there. She opened it and saw a tall hamper.

Naru's clothes earlier that day were already inside it.

Mai shyly placed her clothes on top of Naru's. She decided she would do Naru's laundry too in exchange for letting her use his laundry bin.

Mai was about to lie down on the bed when she realized that Naru was there – meaning that it was **his** bed, not hers.

"Naru," he heard her call.

Naru looked up at her.

"Can I borrow the keys for a minute?" she asked.

Naru wanted to say something sarcastic to her but he didn't want to upset Mai further.

…Might as well let her realize it on her own. After all, experience was the best teacher.

Naru fished the keys out of his robe pocket and threw it onto Mai.

She caught it with her two hands and turned away smiling.

"Thank you!" Mai said.

Naru ignored it and instead turned to look at his book again.

He didn't think Mai would thank him after she realized where she would spend the night in.

* * *

><p>Mai walked out to the hallway and thought what door she should try to open first.<p>

The hallway stretched on two opposite directions from the door.

Mai sighed and decided to start with the door at the end of the hallway to her left.

She pulled out the keys and tried to open the door.

The ring on the keychain held twelve gold keys….

…All of them unable to open the door.

Mai shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe it's for the other door," she said eyeing the next door.

* * *

><p>Naru yawned and looked at the digital clock on the bedside table.<p>

He shook his head.

He had thirty minutes before she runs panicking back into the room.

Naru rubbed his eyes.

He would have to stay awake until then.

"Naru!" Mai cried out, rushing into the bedroom.

Naru looked up at her, knowing well what she would say.

"Naru, all the other rooms are locked," Mai said anxiously. "I mean all the bedrooms. I opened the door to the library, and the office, and the music room...but the keys can't open the bedroom doors!"

"They really can't," he said stating the truth.

Mai stared baffled at Naru. "Wh…Why…How… You **knew** they were all locked and the keys you have can't open them…and you didn't **tell me**?"

"Did you ask me about it?" Naru said.

Mai scowled.

No, she didn't.

Mai sighed and threw the keys to Naru, aiming for his face.

Naru caught them with ease. He then put it inside the drawer of the bedside table. He then turned back to his book.

She looked annoyedly away.

Well, it wasn't Naru's fault if Master Norringbent had only one bedroom cleaned in the house. He must have also thought of the electricity bill they would need to pay if two separate rooms kept its lights on.

"Wait!" Mai cried out realizing something awfully wrong in the setup. "If you're going to sleep there," she said turning to Naru. "…where will I sleep? All the other bedrooms are locked."

Naru kept his eyes on the pages of his open book. "If you're too scared to sleep in this room, don't sleep in this room," he said.

Mai scowled and marched to the bed where Oliver was already lying on. "I am NOT scared of sleeping in this room!"

Naru spared her a glance before he turned the page of his book.

Mai shyly took her place beside Naru – her back towards him. She pulled the blanket to cover her body until Naru's legs were exposed to the cold.

Naru glared at her and pulled the blanket back to cover his legs. Mai pulled it back to cover her body.

"If you're going to sleep here, learn to share," Naru said pulling the blanket from Mai and covering his legs with it.

"It's not my fault the blanket is too short for two people!" Mai said pulling the blanket back.

"It won't be THAT short if you weren't too scared to move closer!"

Mai felt heat fill up her cheeks. "I am not scared," she muttered looking away.

Naru pulled the blanket and covered his legs with it.

Mai sighed and crept closer to Naru – her back still toward him. She pulled the blanket to cover her but it still exposed Naru's legs.

"It's still too short," Mai muttered.

Naru rolled his eyes and put his book on the bedside table. He turned the light off and sunk down the bed. He pulled Mai closer to his chest and successfully covered themselves with the blanket.

"Still too short?" he asked Mai – his breath tickling the back of her neck.

Mai couldn't answer. Her heart was racing and Naru's arms were holding her. She could feel his heart beating against her back.

"Sleep," Naru whispered closing his eyes.

Mai felt his breath slowly grow even. She smiled.

Small blankets **did** have its benefits.


	5. Chapter 5

_Thank you all so much again for reading and reviewing this story. ^ _v ^

_Those reviews were interesting, especially those about Charlotte. Poor girl. Her name is "trending" in the review list for this story more because of hate that admiration. Ooh and those reviews made me wonder about something too. _

_Would you really want Luella to have a grandchild in this story? I'm not saying that I'll give Luella a grandchild, nor am I saying I won't ^ _v _^ but I just want to know if you want it to happen in this story...just to gauge how many people would flame me if I do or don't give her a grandchild, hehehe_

_Anyway, here's the chapter for this week. Do tell me what you think about it!_

* * *

><p>Masako sat staring at the monitor on the head rest of the seat in front of her.<p>

She was on her way back to Japan and she just received word from Charlotte about Noll's sudden disappearance and how he was probably in Japan with his wife.

She didn't know how to react to the news. She was hoping to still have a chance to speak to Noll about her feelings – how she didn't care anymore if he was already wed to someone else. Masako was sure it was illegal in some way since they were too young to get married, if he and Mai did get married around two years ago.

Charlotte had a point. Love is love, not law, not morality, not ethics.

Didn't married Western people get divorce because they realize that they were meant for another person?

What if Noll was meant for Masako? What if at the moment, Noll was just too blinded to see that fact because he had made some sort of oath to Mai?

What if Noll ends up happier with Masako? What if Noll was meant to fall in love with Masako?

Masako covered her face, feeling how warm it had gotten at the thought that Noll might ask for her hand in marriage.

She took a deep breath and sighed.

If they were right and Noll was in Japan, it was a chance for her to talk to him about her feelings - to show him how much happier he could be if he was with her, and to make him realize that his marriage was a mistake.

She just had to know where he was in Japan.

Masako pulled out her mobile phone from her purse. She opened her phonebook and scrolled down to find a name that rang in her mind when she first heard that Noll could be in Japan.

…A name that could help her.

Masako smiled and pressed the call button.

"Hello," John's voice cheerfully greeted from the other line after the phone rang twice. "…this is Fr. John Brown, speaking."

"Fr. Brown," Masako said.

"Hara-san! I thought you were still in England," John said chuckling.

"Well I'm just on my way back to Japan today," Masako said.

"I see," John replied. "By the way, what can I do for you?"

Masako smiled. "I'd like to set up an appointment with you," she began. "…If you wouldn't mind."

* * *

><p>Mai sighed and buried her neck further into the soft and warm body holding her.<p>

It felt so cold…too cold to stretch her limbs and wake up.

Mai stiffened.

What day was it? Wasn't she in charge of going to the market that morning?

She gasped and opened her eyes…only to see a warm fair throat extremely close to her face.

It was then that she realized what that soft warm pillow was that kept her comfortable on the bed – a human being holding her tightly against his chest…a human being she knew well…

"Naru," she breathed, realizing how her arms wrapped around him.

She felt flames burning in her cheeks.

She spent the night in Naru's arms…IN NARU'S ARMS!

It was then that she remembered how it happened.

She glared up at Naru's calm face.

It was **his** fault. Or is it Master Mortimer's..? It was Master Mortimer's house after all. He could have just lent them two bedrooms instead of one.

Mai sighed and tried to look away.

She wanted to turn away from him but she was afraid he would wake up.

The trip to Amsterdam was tiring. He deserved to get a good rest.

Mai smiled.

It had been a long time since she last slept in his arms. But somehow it felt like they hadn't stopped doing it.

Mai suddenly felt Naru move.

She froze, feeling Naru pulling her closer to him – his fingers tangling themselves into her brown locks while his legs repositioned themselves to lock her own between them.

Mai found her self listening to his breathing – ear close to his chest.

She smiled and closed her eyes.

It was still dark. And it wasn't like Mai embraced Naru – **Naru** embraced her.

She moved her head up a little so it rested in the crook of his neck, and waited for sleep to pull her back into dreamland.

Naru smirked, feeling Mai's breathing grow even.

He opened his eyes and slowly pulled the blanket up to their shoulders.

* * *

><p>"I see," Yasuhara said as he held his mobile phone against his ear.<p>

It was one in the afternoon and everyone else in the bar was busy preparing it for the evening gig.

Yasuhara stayed in the office to audit the financial records.

"Hey Yasu," Takigawa called opening the door to the office. He froze when he saw Yasuhara standing by the window with a mobile phone against his ear.

"Tomorrow," Yasuhara said glancing at Takigawa. "Okay. I'll call you about it tomorrow. Thank you so much!"

Takigawa closed the door behind him and shyly scratched his head. "I'm sorry for interrupting," he said.

Yasuhara chuckled. "It's okay," he said. "It didn't seem like the person in the other line heard your yell anyway."

Takigawa glared at Yasuhara. "I didn't yell at you!"

Yasuhara chuckled. "You need anything?"

Takigawa stared confused at Yasuhara.

"Surely you barged in here for a reason," Yasuhara said. "If it's something sexual, I'm afraid you'll have to wait until tomorrow morning," he said winking playfully at Takigawa.

Takigawa's cheeks went red. "THAT'S NOT IT, PERVERT!" he yelled. "I came here to tell you that there's a man in the bar asking for you! He said his name is Takumi."

"Oh," Yasuhara said smiling brightly at Takigawa. "Well why didn't you say so? Let him in."

Takigawa sighed and opened the door. "Oi! Takumi-san!" he called out to someone in the bar. "Come here!"

Yasuhara sat down on his chair.

Things were going on as planned…so far.

* * *

><p>"The late Mr. Norringbent had quite a number of properties," Lin heard Baehler say through the phone. "A lot of them are under his son's name now but if your theory is right, there are still properties that are under a a non-existent person's name which would entirely make this whole egg hunt a mess."<p>

"I see," Lin said looking out at the window from the second floor of the Davis house.

It was early morning and they were all headed to the airport.

Lin was sure this move to investigate on the Norringbent and Mortimer properties was important. He had a strange feeling that Oswald Mortimer was in on Noll's plan to runaway with Taniyama.

If they confirmed that Noll was in one of the properties in Europe, he would tell Madoka, Luella and Prof. Davis to leave Japan.

Then he would go to the property and confirm Noll's presence, talk him into going back on his own and if he declined...would he tell the professor about Noll?

Would he let Prof. Martin handle the situation?

"How many of the properties are located in rural areas?" Lin asked.

Gene was the one who loved nature the most, or rather the one who overtly expressed it. Lin remembered how Gene excitedly ran around the lawn of the Davis resthouse in Scotland that first time they went there.

Noll just watched his brother contently – a small smile on his face.

Lin had always noticed how Noll's happiness relied on Gene's. When Gene was happy, which was almost all the time, Noll was in a good mood though he didn't smile a lot like his twin did.

"It's not that," Lin remembered an eleven-year-old Gene say as he chuckled at Lin's assumption of Noll. "Noll likes nature too. He appreciates its beauty. He's a scientist, isn't he? He just doesn't like other people to see it. He likes keeping things from other people, even from me."

Lin remembered how Noll always studied in his room and how he quarrelled with Gene whenever the latter barged into his room to study.

Gene was right. Noll liked keeping things from others.

And if he was given the chance to choose a house he would live in, he would choose a house that was away from the city life...where people from the elite class might recognize him.

"He has fifteen listed," Baehler said. "Two in Scotland, three in France, two in Ireland, two in Denmark...Want me to check on the ones closes to the route Dr. Davis took via train?"

"Yes," Lin said. "That's a good start. Thank you, Baehler."

"No worries," Baehler said. "By the way, what do I do if I find them? Do I tell the professor?"

Lin looked out at the lawn in front of the house - the lawn where Gene and Noll ran on when they were eleven.

Despite how mature they acted in comparison to other children in their age, they were quite menacing in the house. They made contraptions and scientific experiments that more often that not led to Lin cleaning or burning things to dispose of debris.

But he never felt mad enough to hate them. He never even felt mad enough to tell Prof. Davis about the things they did. He put the blame on him, knowing that Gene and Noll did those things for a reason that was worth protecting.

Was this case the same? Was Taniyama worth protecting?

"Call me if you find him," Lin said.

"Alright," Baehler said.

"Koujo..?" Lin heard Madoka call.

Lin turned to the stairs where Madoka was. "I'll be going," Lin said ending the call and slipping the mobile phone in his pocket.

He walked to the stairs to meet Madoka. "Here," he said.

"Oh," Madoka said. "Let's go. Everything's in the van."

Lin nodded.

What if Noll was in Japan? What if what Oswald said was true?

What if Noll was looking for Taniyama in Japan? Would he stop him from doing so?

Was Taniyama worth protecting?

* * *

><p>Mai sighed as she proded the sausage on her plate.<p>

Don't get her wrong. She liked the sausage.

She also liked her morning.

Mai tried not to blush as her eyes wondered to the man sitting across from her on the dining table – his hair in slight disarray as he quietly munched on the slice of sausage he put in his mouth.

Naru had always been that way in the morning...at least that was how Mai remembered him to be.

He didn't like waking up. But he didn't like going to sleep in the evening as well.

But that morning was different from the mornings she woke up with Naru back in Japan.

Mai looked down at her plate and stuffed her mouth with a big slice of sausage, trying to ignore the image forming inside her head.

Naru looked up at Mai, noticing her odd action and rolled his eyes.

* * *

><p>Mai woke up that morning on Naru's chest.<p>

She didn't know how she got there but she was there when she opened her eyes. She panicked, afraid of what Naru would think about their position, and tried to stand...only to end up waking Naru up.

"What time is it?" Naru asked pulling Mai closer to him as he squinted in the morning light peeping throught the bedroom curtains.

"S-seven..?" Mai said frantically looking at the digital clock on the bedside table.

Naru snorted and pinned Mai down on the bed muttering, "Fifteen minutes."

Mai gasped as Naru buried his face on the crook of her neck – his eyes shut and his nose breathing in the scent of her skin.

"NO!" Mai screamed cheeks in flames as she tried to get her mind away from the fact that Naru was slightly on top of her. "Are you crazy? What time do you want me to start cooking breakfast? Eleven..?"

Naru lifted up his head and glared at Mai. "I said fifteen minutes, not three hours."

Mai glared back at him. "Fifteen minutes always end up more than fifteen minutes."

"Fine," Naru said burying his head in the crook of Mai's neck again. "Twenty minutes," he breathed.

"NO!" Mai shrieked, trying hard not to panic at how his breath tickeled her skin. "Fine! You want twenty minutes? You have your twenty minutes, but I need to get up now so get off me."

"You're not in Japan," Naru muttered.

"I know that!"

"You're not in the Mortimer household."

"I know!" Mai said staring incredulously at Naru. "I'm not stupid!"

"You're in our house," Naru said.

"Apparently," Mai replied without thinking.

She stiffened.

"Sleep," Naru commanded.

Mai sighed and glared at the ceiling. "Naru, I know you're a rich kid and that you wake up at ten in the morning, but if we're going to keep this setup where we share one bed and we are the only ones sharing this house, you will have to be responsible enough to keep the house on your own."

"Meaning..?"

"You have to clean the house everyday, cook your food, buy your food, weed the lawn," Mai said. "...And so on.

Naru grunted but didn't let her go.

Mai sighed. "Naru please," she said. "I need to go to the toilet."

"No you don't."

Mai glared at Naru. "You want me to wet the bed?"

Naru let her go and laid his back flat on the bed.

"Thank you," Mai said, sitting up. "Go back to sleep if you want to. I'll just start cooking breakfast."

"Tea," Naru muttered.

"What..?" Mai asked as she stood up to walk to the bathroom.

"Tea," Naru said rolling on his side and burying his face on Mai's pillow. "I want tea."

Mai rolled her eyes. "You'll have to go downstairs later," she said. "I'm not going up here with your tea."

She then heard a click on the bathroom door.

Mai gasped and glared at Naru.

"OLIVER DAVIS, YOU STOP DOING THAT RIGHT NOW!" she said. "WHAT IF YOU GET HURT?"

"You'll take care of me," he mumbled.

Mai clenched her fist and ran back to the bed. She pulled her pillow from Naru's grasp.

"That's it!" she said. "You're waking up and stepping out of that bed NOW!"

Naru sat up and glared at Mai.

Mai glared back trying hard not to flinch at his glare.

Naru ended up sighing and pulling Mai into a hug. "Good morning," he muttered against her stomach.

Mai froze – blood filling her cheeks.

"G-good morning," she said combing Naru's hair with her fingers.

* * *

><p>Mai cleared her throat, pulling her mind away from the memory.<p>

"Hey Naru," she said looking up at him from across the table. "I was thinking..."

"You were," Naru said sarcastically.

Mai glared at Naru. "Apparently, yes I was," she said. "I just thought about our food here."

"What about it?"

"Well we have a bunch of canned goods in the pantry," Mai said. "And though they're all good and delicious, I think we should still have other foods...Food we can cook? Like meats, vegetables and fruits?"

Naru sliced the sausage on his plate. "You want to go to the market," he said.

"Yes," Mai said nodding. "I still have some money in my purse anyway."

Naru stuffed the last pieces of sausages in his mouth and drank his tea.

Mai watched him stand up from his seat.

"Where are you going?" Mai asked.

Naru looked at her – an eye brow raised. "Aren't we going to the market?"

Mai stared blushing at Naru.

...Another date in the market, huh?


	6. Chapter 6

_HEY! Sorry I'm late. I had tons of work to do and I just tried to squeeze this in. _

_Anyway, thank you all so much for reading and reviewing this story! ^ _v _^ For those who didn't get the "bathroom door clicking" part in the previous chapter, I'll explain. _

_I know I haven't written about Naru's PK as frequent as I have in the Norringbent arc of Key. Last chapter was the first time that I wrote about it in this story. So basically, since Mai told him she won't personally serve him his tea, he locked the bathroom door with his PK (remember Mai said she needed to go to the bathroom?). It was basically a form of punishment - he won't let her use the bathroom since she didn't let him have his tea served in bed._

_Mai knew it was his PK so she scolded him (remember Gene educated her back in 'Are you happy?' about how hazardous to Naru's health using PK was?)._

_If it's still confusing, do tell me. * _v_ *_

_Oooh, a lot of people want Luella and Martin to have a grandchild/grandchildren. Interesting! LOL_

_Here's another chapter for 'Where is home?' I'__m seriously thinking about uploading once every two weeks. But I'm still not sure if I'll do it. Anyway, please read and review! ^ _v ^

* * *

><p>"Where in Japan should we start searching for Noll?" Madoka asked as she sat beside Lin in the airplane.<p>

Martin and Luella sat in front of them, having a conversation of their own as the plane soared away from London.

"I've given Martin an itinerary," Lin said. "After we get settled in the hotel, we'll visit Shibuya where Taniyama used to live in…or still lives in now."

Madoka nodded, understanding the plan. Shibuya was quite a large place so they would most likely visit the house or apartment that Mai lived in...or is still living in.

"I've also had some detectives trace the people that Noll mingled with in Japan two years ago," Lin said. "We'll be meeting them too."

"But so far, those detectives you spoke with didn't find him, yes?" Madoka asked. "Not even Mai..?"

Lin raised a brow at Madoka. "You talk about her as if you've already known each other," he said. "Would you mind enlightening me on this matter?"

Madoka frowned and glared at Lin. "She's Noll's girlfriend, and most probably will be Noll's wife," she said. "We might as well treat her as part of the family!"

Lin sighed and shook his head. "Let's hope the professor didn't hear you," he said eyeing the professor sitting in front of him, who luckily seemed to be busy muttering something to Luella – most probably a rebuttal to what Luella told her.

It was the couple's favourite past time – annoying each other.

Lin smirked.

That was Noll and Mai's favourite hobby too.

Madoka rolled her eyes at Lin. "Would you really, rather have Charlotte or Masako as your daughter-in-law?"

Lin stared confused at Madoka. "Why would either of them be my daughter-in-law?"

Madoka glared at Lin. "Because they're going to marry Noll if you don't let Noll marry you-kno-who," she muttered.

Lin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Madoka," he began. "Noll is not our son. He is the professor's and Luella's."

"You deny that you treat him as your son?" Madoka whispered, daring him.

Lin frowned at Madoka. "That does not change the fact that whoever Noll is going to marry won't carry my last name."

Madoka glared at Lin. "Now you're telling me you don't care about Noll and his future..? What happened to 'hoping we're doing the right thing,' huh?"

Lin sighed. "It's still here," he said. "But I'm more worried about how this search is going to affect Noll's emotional and psychological state, not who Noll will end up marrying. You've seen how depressed he could be. That's what I'm worried about."

Madoka frowned and slumped childishly on her seat.

"Madoka, what if the professor has a point?" Lin said. "What if being with Taniyama hurts him? Burdens him..? What if separating them will actually do him good?"

"It won't and you know it," Madoka muttered, glaring at the window.

Lin sighed and held Madoka's hand. "No I don't know it," he said. "**Feeling** like it is not going to do him good, is different from **knowing** that it won't do him any good."

Madoka looked up at Lin. "But what if Noll really **was** your son," she said. "Would you do this to him? And don't give me that crap about 'don't cross the bridge before you get there' thing!"

Lin smirked. "Crap, huh?" he said. "You've been watching those American action movies again."

Madoka glared at Lin. "You answer me, Koujo. I just asked you a question."

Lin chuckled. "I won't," he said. "…Because in the end, it's not going to be me who will spend the rest of my life with Taniyama. It's Noll."

Madoka looked sadly at Lin. "How come **he** doesn't see that?" she whispered, slightly leaning her head toward the profesor's direction at the word "he."

Lin leaned his head beside Madoka's. "Because he's not me," he said. "There's no universal definition for fatherhood and love. You know that."

Madoka sighed. "I just can't help but feel that this is all crap, you know?"

Lin chuckled. "Well sometimes we need to do shit to know if it really **is** shit."

Madoka stared shocked at Lin.

Lin just smiled at her.

"Don't do that again, Koujo."

"You have no idea how much I want to scrub my tongue with soap right now."

Madoka chuckled and leaned her head on the crook of Lin's neck.

* * *

><p>Mai scribbled the word 'chicken' on the slip of paper she took from the library as she stared at the pantry filled with canned goods.<p>

It was then that she noticed what kinds of food were already present in the pantry aside from sausages, corned beef, chicken chunks and tuna.

There were also canned fruits like halved peaches, pineapples, and mixed fruits; canned sauces like tomato sauce; canned ready meals like soups, chicken tikka marsala, chilli con carne, and curry; and canned vegetables like roasted bell peppers, green beans, potatoes.

There were also bags of uncooked pasta and instant mashed potatoes on one shelf.

Mai hummed, thinking of what she could whip up with the ingredients.

She could think of a number of basic British dishes that she cooked while in Master Mortimer's household.

The question was if Naru would like them. He hasn't, after all, eaten anything that Mai had prepared.

He just drank her tea.

And they couldn't always eat instant meals because they would end up stuffing themselves with preservatives.

So that's why they still need to go to the market and buy the things on Mai's list.

Mai looked down at her list.

They were basic fresh foods that could easily be cooked into something edible – whole chicken, eggs, some beef or pork, fish, other seafoods if they were available...or if they could all fit in Mai's budget.

Mai bit her lips.

She had some money, but she doubted it would last for...how long were they going to stay in the house anyway?

Mai nodded.

She would have to ask Naru about that...and about the mess they were in. He obviously was still hiding tons of important facts behind her back.

Naru kidnapping her just because he didn't want to look for her anymore..? Sure, that could have meant that Naru cared for her, but that wasn't enough reason for him to actually kidnap her.

He could have told her to go with him to Amsterdam. She would go with him...as long as it didn't burden anyone else...

Did...Did they burden someone? Like Naru's family..? Were they looking for him?

Surely, Naru would inform them about his whereabouts. But what if he didn't? After all, Mai hadn't met his parents.

If he **did** tell them about her, they probably thought of her as a housekeeper that would watch over their son.

...But weren't they staying in Master Mortimer's house? What would be so important that Naru would stay in another person's house?

Well, he stayed in her house because he was looking for Gene...when he could have just stayed in a hotel...

...Why didn't he choose to live in a hotel in Amsterdam? Because living in someone else's house was cheaper..?

Naru didn't look like the thrifty type. And he came from quite a well off family.

The house was also situated in a place far from the nearest town. They didn't even have any neighbours!

It was as if they really hid themselves away from people.

Mai frowned.

Did Naru really think she was **that** stupid?

"That's what you're wearing outside?" Mai suddenly heard Naru's voice say near her ear.

She jolted in shock and glared at Naru, who suddenly stood behind her in the kitchen.

"Don't do that!"

Naru raised a brow at her. "I've been standing here for two minutes," he said. "I've even asked you about that list you're making."

Mai looked away, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "There's nothing wrong with my clothes," she said. "And what were you asking about the list?"

Naru stared incredulously at Mai. "I was asking you about how much food you're planning to buy in the market," he said. "...If you're planning to buy food enough for a week or so. And you're wearing a shirt, and a mini-skirt, which I doubt is suitable for the weather outside."

Mai raised a brow at Naru and turned to look at the nearest window.

It was raining outside.

Mai gasped and realized how cold it was in the kitchen.

"Do you have a coat?" Naru asked.

"I have a jacket," Mai answered. "I'll just go upstairs to get dressed," she said before she ran out of the kitchen and stomped up the stairs.

Naru watched her as she disappeared into the second floor.

He knew Mai was starting to think about everything. She would start asking him questions soon.

Naru sighed and looked at his reflection in the mirror.

"Just knock her up," his reflection said.

Naru glared at him.

* * *

><p>"I see," Yasuhara said as he sat across Takumi in the office. "You've seen this Baehler person?"<p>

"Yes," Takumi said. "Naru asked me to watch the places where people could get information about Oswald Mortimer. I saw this tall German introducing himself as Detective Ulrich Baehler in the Valuation Office Agency. He asked about records of Mortimer's properties for an investigation."

"So their on his tail," Yasuhara said looking away.

"It's too subtle though," Takumi said. "I bet it's the Chinese guy who told Baehler to do it. I mean, I watched them all leave the house and drive to the airport. If they're planning to look for him in Europe, they could have just taken a train."

"That's right," Yasuhara said. "Still, one wrong move can ruin everything. I'll tell him about this, including your report on the papers. Are you planning to go back to Europe?"

"Not really," Takumi said shrugging his shoulders. "Mai's in good hands now. But if it will make sure that she get's a good future, I'll go back there."

Yasuhara smiled. "That's good," he said. "Detective Baehler could change our plans a bit and we might need someone back there in Europe."

Takumi nodded. "No problem," he said. "Like I said, I'll do anything if it would be good for Mai."

Yasuhara chuckled. "It still hurts, doesn't it?"

Takumi smirked. "I'll get used to it," he said.

Yasuhara nodded. "I'll need a kitchen staff by the way," he said. "Have you already gotten a job?"

Takumi smiled. "Yes," he said. "...Kitchen staff in your bar."

Yasuhara chuckled. "In that case, let me give you your contract."

* * *

><p>Mai gripped her purse tight as she gazed at the view outside the window of the bus.<p>

They rode a bus to the nearest town.

The drizzling rain was soaking the road and the grassy lawns.

It was a good thing Naru told her to change her clothes. Her deep red leggings warmed her legs from the cold.

Naru sighed as he took a glance at Mai.

If it wasn't mini-skirts, it was a pair of mini-shorts. At least she wore leggings this time. And she wore a hooded long sleeve T-shirt that reached her thighs.

Naru smirked.

For a childish idiot, she had fashion sense.

He looked away and kept his eyes on the road that the bus was taking.

"Hey Naru," Mai asked as she looked up to him, trying hard not to admire him in his navy blue Yale duffle coat. "How long are we going to stay in the house?"

Naru looked at Mai and noticed how much she gripped her purse.

She was worried about the budget.

What was he going to tell her?

They would stay there until his father accepts the fact that his son didn't want to get married to anyone other than Mai..?

EH? Where did that come from?

"Two months," Naru said.

"That long..?" Mai asked. "So this is your vacation."

No. This is his work.

Of course it's a vacation – a vacation from everything giving him headaches back in England.

...And the first step in keeping her for good.

Yes. He needs to eat a real decent home-cooked meal.

"And you're going to go back to England after two months," she said.

Naru stared at her. "Why are you asking these questions?"

"Can't I ask them?" Mai said looking away and hiding her blushing face from Naru.

Naru looked out at the road.

She was worried that he would leave her, wasn't she? Well it wasn't like he had plans of doing so. It's just that...Knowing Mai...There was a greater chance that **she** would leave **him** once she knew the whole circumstance that they were in.

So he couldn't tell her everything. Not yet...

"This is our stop," Mai heard Naru say as the bus slowed down to a stop.

Mai saw a stretch of stores on the side of the road. A small crowd was forming on the strip.

Perhaps it was market day.

Mai suddenly felt a warm hand pull her hand up. She turned to Naru and saw him standing up with the other passengers.

She followed him – her cheeks flushed at how Naru held her hand as they walked out of the bus.

"Where do we go from here?" Mai asked trying to keep her eyes away from seeing how Naru held her hand as they stood on the side of the road.

"Keep your eyes on the path," Naru said pulling Mai close to his side – his fingers locking themselves with her own.

Mai stared up surprised at Naru.

He was frowning at her. "It's market day," he said. "Stay close to me."

Mai found her self nodding – her cheeks burning.

They then followed the people into a nearby block that led into the market place – their hands tightly clasped.


	7. Chapter 7

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing "Where is home?" ^ _v ^ _I still can't believe how this story seems to be affecting people. I've read reviews about how they want a Naru of their own. LOL_

_For those who didn't get Gene's line ("Just knock her up"), another way to say it is "Just get her pregnant" or "impregnate her" (though I don't like using the word "impregnate" because I see it as a scientific term, rather than a l"creative literary" term for the action._

_Anyway, here's the chapter for the week. So far, I can still keep up with my weekly deadline, but if worse comes to worst, I might start uploading once every two weeks . I'm crossing my fingers!_

_Oh and tell me what you think about this chapter! ^ _v

_PS: I know I'm not that good in foreign language, and I'm terribly sorry about that. If the dialogue at the end of this chapter confuses you, please wait for the next chapter. THANK YOU!_

* * *

><p>"Hara Masako?" John heard Yasuhara say from the other end of the line.<p>

John was doing some last minute rounds in the church before he went to sleep when he decided to call Yasuhara.

The appointment that Hara Masako set with him, though he was honoured to meet her again in such as long time, bothered him.

He could still remember how she seemed to cling to Dr. Oliver Davis back in England, and hearing from Yasuhara that the Davis family was already aware of the doctor's disappearance, John couldn't help but feel that his appointment with the renowned medium would be anything but friendly.

…Not that he thought Masako was violent. She was quite a lady. He had always admired how she carried herself, especially in a crowd.

Despite preaching to church goers, John was still uneasy when it came to mingling with crowds. He didn't hate being in one, it just…makes him too nervous to be himself.

Masako was always prim, proper and confident.

So why was he worried about meeting her?

John frowned as he pulled the padlock on the church door to make sure it was locked.

"Yes," he said, holding his mobile phone against his ear. "And I'm afraid she wants to talk about Dr. Davis."

He heard Yasuhara chuckle from the other line. "Are you sure she didn't meet with you to have a date with you?" he teased.

John chuckled. "You're lucky **I'm** the priest who heard that joke," he said. "If it were anyone else, he would have dropped this call."

Yasuhara laughed. "I'm sorry," he said. "You know I still can't believe you chose to be celibate. With that face of yours and that age, you might even be Hara-san's boyfriend. Then we'd only have Charlotte Weist to worry about."

John sighed and shook his head. "As much as I would love to help out in this situation, I'm very much taken," he said. "I'm not saying Hara-san isn't attractive enough. I'm just saying that I enjoy where I am right now."

"You like being married to God, I get it," Yasuhara said.

John chuckled. "Yes," he said as he walked to the hall that lead to his sleeping quarters. "And I don't think I'll have any plans of getting a divorce or an annulment anytime soon."

Yasuhara chuckled. "Well, what do you plan to do with Hara-san?"

"I plan to meet her," John answered as he walked up the stairs to his room. "It would be rude not to meet her."

"Of course," he said. "And if she asks you about him?"

"I plan to tell her the truth," John said. "I see no harm in doing so anyway."

"That's true," Yasuhara said. "And if she insists that you help her?"

John chuckled as he opened the door to his bedroom and walked in. "I'll tell her I've already committed myself to helping someone else," he said. "I just hope I don't offend her after that."

"Well you're going to be honest with her," Yasuhara said. "And I doubt she would even hate a priest like you."

John sighed. "I'm not just a priest," he said as he locked the door behind him. "I'm also human. I'm as prone to being hated as you are."

"You're a good man though," Yasuhara said. "And you look like you're bad at lying."

"Really now?" John asked as he sat down on his bed. "Well, if that's what you believe."

"Eh? You're great at lying?"

John chuckled. "You seem to have forgotten that I still handle confessions."

"Ah! Yes," Yasuhara said. "I've always wondered if you take confessions. And how do you keep those dark secrets? Has a criminal ever confessed to you about a crime he committed?"

John laughed. "As much as I would like to answer your questions, Yasuhara-san, I must ask you," he said. "Don't you have a bar to run?"

Yasuhara chuckled. "Fine," he said. "I'll tell loverboy about your appointment with Hara-san."

John snickered. "I doubt he would be happy if he knew you spoke of him that way."

"It's just between the two of us anyway, Fr. John," Yasuhara said.

"If you say so," he said.

"I'll be going now. Good night!"

"God bless you, Yasuhara-san," John said before he ended the call and placed the mobile phone on his bedside table.

He sighed and looked up at the cross mounted on the wall.

What a mess this thing he's in, is!

He thought for a moment before he nodded and knelt down in front of the cross.

* * *

><p>Mai found herself staring at everything and anything she and Naru passed by as they walked on the streets of the market place – middle aged men and women, children walking with their mothers, butchers chopping veal, vegetables in boxes, fruits in crates, stalls and restaurants in various colours...fries drenched with mayonnaise inside paper cones...steamy waffles...<p>

She felt Naru tug her hand.

Mai quickly looked up at him.

"I said keep your eyes on the path," he said glaring at Naru. "You'll trip or hit someone here if you don't pay attention."

Mai nodded and walked closer to Naru.

It was hard to pay attention to the road when doing so, made you aware that your hand was being held by a tall handsome jerk named Na-Oliver Davis.

Mai suddenly realized something. She looked up at Naru to confirm her suspicion.

"Neh, Naru," Naru heard Mai call. He looked down at her.

"You're not hiding your face," she said.

"I haven't heard about anyone putting a price on my head," he said.

Mai frowned. "But you're Oliver Da-"

"...WHO," Naru cut her, eyes glaring icily at her. "I'm who?"

Mai swallowed loudly. "Y-you're...with me?"

Naru looked back at the path as his eyes continued to scan the place for something they could buy.

Mai sighed and shyly looked away.

She was just worried that someone would recognize him. He **was** after all supposed to be a highly recognized and popular scientist.

...Unless he wasn't supposed to be that popular in the Netherlands.

Mai shrugged her shoulders.

It wasn't going to be her problem if some obsessed fan recognized him in the crowd.

Wait. Was it..?

"What do we need to buy?" she suddenly heard Naru say.

"W-what..?"

Naru stopped walking and turned to look at her, raising a brow. "You made a list, didn't you?"

Mai gasped and shyly scratched her head. "Yeah, I did," she said. "Let me get it!"

She then pulled out a piece of paper from her jacket pocket.

Her mini-shorts caught Naru's eye again.

Naru scowled.

Do husbands have a say on what their wives should wear?

Mai pulled her hand away from Naru to easily unfold the piece of paper. Once she was done unfolding the paper, Naru took her hand in his again.

He then went on to walk down the street, leading Mai into the crowd.

"We need eggs," Mai said reading the grocery list. "Eggs are easy to cook. You do eat eggs don't you?"

Naru kept his eyes on the stalls as they walked along the crowded street market.

"A dozen will do for a week," Mai said thinking about how many types of dishes she should make for the whole week. "I just don't know if we have enough money for it." She looked up and watched the people around them as they made transactions with the sellers.

None of them sounded like English.

Mai frowned. "And I have no idea how we are going to buy something," she said.

"Zijn deze biologisch eieren?" Mai heard Naru say.

She quickly turned to look at him and saw him talking to a man in a stall with crates of eggs on display.

"Ja," the seller said proudly. "Ze zijn ook verse. Dit was net verlost van de boerderij."

"Hoeveel?" Naru asked.

"Twee euro zes eieren."

Mai just stared at the two men, clueless as to what they were discussing. She then saw Naru look down at the eggs. There were two crates on display, next to the crates of milk and vegetables that the man also seemed to be selling.

"Hoeveel voor de niet-biologisch's?" Naru asked.

"Een euro en tien cent," the man answered. "Ze zijn grote."

Naru took one of the eggs on one of the two boxes.

Mai noticed how big it was.

"Een euro en acht cent," Naru said.

The seller chuckled. "Een euro en negen cent," he said.

"Een euro en acht cent," Naru said. "Mijn vrouw en ik zal een dozjin."

The man looked at Mai and chuckled. "Net getrouwd?"

"Ja," Naru said.

The man laughed. "Gefeliciteerd! Huwelijksreis?"

"Ja," Naru answered. "Ze is verlangen naar eieren."

The man chuckled. "Dat is goed nieuws! Ik geef je de biologisch ei die op een euro en acht cent voor zes," he said. "Biologisch eieren zijn het beste voor zwangere vrouwen."

Mai saw Naru smirk and felt her heart skip.

"Dank je wel," Naru said. "We zullen een tiental van de biologische eieren."

The man nodded and took out an egg tray that could hold twelve eggs.

Mai just stared in awe at Naru. "So you bought the eggs," she said.

The man smiled up at Mai as he placed twelve eggs on the tray. "Jullie hebben het allebei mooi," he said.

Mai smiled stiffly at the man, not knowing what the man just told her. "Hey Naru," she whispered. "What did he just say?"

"He said we're both beautiful," Naru answered, his eyes on the vegetables that the man was also selling.

Mai felt her cheeks burn.

...She was beautiful like Naru?

"Je baby zal ook moi zijn!" the man said, chuckling at Mai.

Mai chuckled and just nodded at the man. "Neh, Naru," she muttered. "What did he say now?"

"He said our baby will be beautiful too," Naru answered picking up a carrot from the box.

"Oh," Mai said smiling at the man.

Then it hit her.

"WHAT BABY..?"

The seller stared confused at Mai.

"Ze doet dat veel," Naru said looking at the seller. "Ik denk dat het de hormonen."

"Ja," the seller said. "Je krijgt meer van deze als ze haar zwangerschap gaat-negen maanden van de hel."

Naru smirked.

"Ik kan maar beter aan wennen ze," he said.

Mai stared at Naru and the seller as they spoke – panic-stricken.

What on earth were they talking about?

"Naru!" Mai said pulling his sleeves. "What the bloody hell did you tell him about me?"

Naru looked apathetically at Mai. "Do you have vegetables on the list?"

"Y-yes," Mai said quickly checking her market list again.

Naru turned to the seller. "Hoeveel voor de wortelen?"


	8. Chapter 8

_Thank you all for reading and reviewing 'Where is home?' _^ v ^

_I understand I told you to wait for this chapter if you want to know what Naru and the seller's conversation was about. Unfortunately, I had so many things I needed to do (I almost planned not to upload a chapter this week), I was only able to get **this** part of the supposed Chapter 8 uploaded for this week._

_But I'll post a translated copy of the dialogue hopefully on the next chapter. For now, I hope you enjoy a sneak peak on how Naru explains it (sneak peak because the rest is on the next chapter)._

_I hope you all still read this with all the disclaimer on the translations though. _* v *

* * *

><p>"How much is it?" Mai asked Naru as he took the paper bags of vegetables from the seller.<p>

She was ready to pull out money from her purse.

Naru ignored her question and instead pulled out a couple of euro bills from his pocket. He handed it to the seller without giving Mai a hint on how much what they bought was.

Mai watched the seller search his apron's pockets for Naru's change.

She frowned.

She didn't like to burden Naru with the expenses. After all, she was the one who wanted to get out of the house and shop for something to cook.

Mai looked up at Naru. First, she shared a room with Naru. Next, he paid the market expenses. Oh and earlier, on the bus, Naru was also the one who paid the fare.

Wasn't that just too much - Naru paying all the expenses while she just watched him do it?

Naru took his change and turned away.

Before he paid for the eggs and the vegetables, the seller told him that the best place to buy meat were just a few blocks away from them, and that they were just in time to catch the newly delivered meats.

Naru was about to walk away from the stall when Mai pulled his sleeve.

"Wait!" she said.

Naru turned and raised a brow at her.

More people were beginning to crowd the streets. They had to move fast if they planned to get home early.

"How do you say 'thank you' in Dutch?" Mai asked shyly.

Naru stared at her for a moment before he answered, "Dank u."

Mai turned to look at the seller and smiled cheerfully at him. "Dank u!"

The seller chuckled and nodded at her. "Graag gedaan," he replied.

Naru watched Mai pull him away from the stall while the seller entertained another customer. "Where do we go next, Naru?" she asked as she looked at the other stalls on the street.

Naru smirked and took her hand in his free one.

"Do you have meat on your list?" he asked.

"Oh yeah!" Mai said. "I do. How opposed are you to eating poultry?"

* * *

><p>"HOW DARE YOU EXPLOIT MAI-CHAN?" Ayako yelled at Takumi for the N-th time that night.<p>

Luckily, Takigawa already held her firmly from hurling nasty punches and kicks at Takumi.

It was Takumi's first day, or night, of work and Ayako immediately noticed him while she sat by the bar counter.

Takumi was delivering a plate of yakiniku on the counter when Ayako saw him. She quickly stood up, pulled his shirt collar and yeld something like, "You're that Takumi-kun who sold Mai-chan to England!"

As much as he wanted to laugh at the statement, Ayako was already too life-threatening to laugh at.

Takigawa quickly came to his rescue only to glare at him when he realized that Ayako was talking to the man who sent Mai away from Japan.

But before Takigawa himself beat his soul out of him, Yasuhara walked out of his office and ordered the three of them to settle everything at the back of the bar since it was causing quite a commotion in the establishment.

So there they were – beside the stinking trash bin – trying hard not to end up deaf at Ayako's high pitched nagging.

"Ayako," Takigawa called as he held her by the waist from behind. He was making sure that Ayako was five steps away from Takumi so she didn't hurt him.

Not that he cared for Takumi's well being.

He just wanted to be the one to beat him to death for putting Mai into such hardships.

Seriously! Mai wouldn't encounter that horrible monster of an employer and end up comatose in a hospital if Takumi didn't send her to England!

He should be punished for putting her through such fate!

"Are you siding with this bastard?" Ayako yelled at Takigawa. "You're siding with this selfish, heartless, BASTARD? LET GO OF ME, BOU-SAN, RIGHT NOW!"

"I'm not siding with him," Takigawa answered. "My ears are hurting with your yelling, and if you keep this up, we'll get arrested for disturbing the peace!"

Ayako scowled but kept her mouth shut.

Takigawa loudly cleared his throat before he spoke. "Oi," he said glaring at Takumi who was standing against the wall across them. "As much as I would LOVE to beat you up right now, Yasu asked me to be reasonable with you so I'll try to be reasonable with you without using my fists."

Takumi sighed and shyly looked away.

They had all the right to hate him.

Heck! He was expecting even Mai to hate him.

But she was just too much of an idiot to hate anyone, huh?

"Are you going to explain **something** to us?" Takigawa asked, raising a brow at him while his arms made sure that Ayako didn't make a move to attack Takumi.

Takumi took a deep breath. "You're both right," he said. "I don't deserve to be treated reasonably."

Ayako and Takigawa stared confused at Takumi.

"I sent her to England because I wanted the money," he said. "And partly because I…I wanted to make her happy. She wanted to go to England. I figured that if I sent her there, she would be happy and she would recognize how much I cared for her. I wasn't planning on making her live there permanently. I was really planning on-"

"Hold on a second," Takigawa said raising a hand at Takumi. "Are you saying you LIKE Mai-chan?"

Takumi took a deep breath and sighed. "Yes," he said. "I like her."

Ayako and Takigawa stared incredulously at Takumi.

"Is this your first time to court a girl?" Ayako asked.

"Eh? No," Takumi said shyly.

"Is this, if Mai-chan likes you back which I will not permit, your first time to have a girlfriend?" Takigawa asked.

"N-no," Takumi answered. "Why are you asking me those questions?"

"Uh, let's see," Takigawa said acting like he was pondering on a very serious idea. "Because sending the girl you love away for money isn't the way to get her to like you back?"

Takumi glared at them. "Well you didn't exactly let me finish!" he said. "I was planning on using the money I earned in sending her there, to get her back to Japan once she's done with what she wants to do there!"

"Oh," Takigawa and Ayako said slowly, nodding.

"It's still stupid though," Ayako said folding her arms over her chest. "I mean seriously. How sure are you that the money you earn in getting her there is going to be enough to get her back? Did you have any idea how much it costs to get a flight to England? Not to mention get a working passport."

"I was promised an ample amount of money," Takumi said frowning. "An amount of money enough to take me there and get the two of us back here to Japan."

"And did you get it?" Takigawa asked.

"No," Takumi said looking away. "I didn't know I had to send her there as a prostitute to earn that much money."

"WHAT?" Ayako and Takigawa yelled.

"I didn't get the money because I insisted that she be sent there as a maid," Takumi said holding his hands up at the two. "And she got there as a maid. I just…I…wasn't able to get her back," he said looking away to hide the pain on his face.

Ayako and Takigawa stared at each other for a moment before they turned to look at Takumi again.

"How did you know Yasuhara?" Ayako asked.

"A friend of mine worked for him," Takumi said. "My friend told me Yasuhara-san was looking for me. He told me he can help me make everything right with Mai-chan. So I took the chance and talked to him. Then Naru ordered me to-"

"Wait! NARU?" Ayako and Takigawa asked.

"Yes," Takumi said. "Yasuhara-san worked for Naru. When I got to talk to Yasuhara-san, he directed me to Naru. Naru paid me to go to England and falsify papers to get Mai out of the country. Since she's an illegal migrant worker, she would have to be in jail before she gets back here in Japan. Naru ordered me to make sure she didn't have to be sent to jail to get out of the country."

"So you know Naru too?" Takigawa asked.

Takumi smirked bitterly. "I saw him near her house once," he said. "And he worked in her place in the market when she was confined in the hospital here. I offered him a job as my business partner but he turned me down, telling me not to go anywhere near Mai-chan. I didn't know he was a rich kid until he got me to England using his own money."

Takigawa scowled.

Ayako shrugged her shoulders. "Well, that's Oliver Davis for you," she said.

"Why isn't he taking **us **to England using his own money?" Takigawa muttered. "We're like Mai's parents! We're practically going to be his in-laws if he decides to marry Mai-chan!"

Ayako rolled his eyes. "You just want to have his autograph," she teased.

"No, I don't!" Takigawa defended, his cheeks blushing.

"That reminds me," Ayako said. "So you know where they are now?"

"Yes, I do," Takumi answered. "I also know why they're there."

"Hey," Takigawa began looking unsurely away, scratching his head. "Do...do you also know about…um…Naru and Mai?" he asked shyly.

Takumi chuckled. "Yeah," he said. "I'm trying to move on from that. Thanks for reminding me."

"Eh? S-sorry," Takigawa said.

Ayako sighed. "Well, I think we can go back in the bar now since we're all calm and civilized people again."

Takumi and Takigawa stared at Ayako.

"You were the only one who was acting furious and uncivilized, you know," Takigawa said.

Ayako shyly turned away. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said chuckling loudly. "I'm hungry. Who's in for some yakiniku?"

Takigawa and Takumi rolled their eyes.

* * *

><p>"Neh, Naru," Mai said as she sat beside the window of the bus.<p>

They had finished shopping for meat, fish, and bread. They decided to ride the bus again since they had a lot of bags to carry home.

Naru spared Mai a glance.

He hadn't walked that interestingly in the market for years, and he felt a little tired.

"What did you and the seller talk about earlier?" Mai asked. "...The one we bought eggs from."

Naru stiffened.

"And I want a detailed translation of everything!" she said sending him a waring glare.

Naru sighed and looked away.

It couldn't be helped. She was bound to know anyway.

Mai waited for Naru to answer her.

One of these days, she would search the library for a book on learning to speak Dutch. That way, she would know why people in Amsterdam would talk about babies after they appreciate how she and Naru looked like.

"I asked him if the eggs he sold were organic," Naru said, recalling how the conversation began. "And how much he was selling them, and how much he was selling the non-organic ones."

Mai nodded. She figured the first part of the conversation had something to do with the eggs that the seller had on his stall. Naru held on of the eggs at one point of the conversation, if she wasn't mistaking."After that..?"

Naru thought for a moment.

How was he going to tell her that after he asked for a discount on the eggs, he told the seller that he and **his wife** were getting a dozen of the eggs?


	9. Chapter 9

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing 'Where is home?' ^ _v_ ^ Here's the chapter for this week. _

__Thank you, _**LoversAnimeSan 4ever Unifamz**_! No worries, I got what you wrote * v ^__

_As promised, I'm including the full translation of Naru's conversation in this chapter. _

_Do tell me what you think about it!_

* * *

><p>"I told him we were getting a dozen of the eggs," Naru said.<p>

Mai nodded. "I see," she said. "But surely you said something else," she said, her eyes narrowing at Naru's straight face. "After all, he mentioned something about how our baby would look like."

It took all her effort not to blush on the word 'our.' The thought of them having a baby was enough to make her heart race.

"I told him 'my wife and I' will take a dozen of the eggs," Naru said.

Mai nodded in understanding until she realized what was wrong with the sentence. She gasped in shock. "YOU TOLD HIM WE WERE MARRIED?"

Naru glared at her. "We won't exactly pass as brother and sister," he said.

"Won't we pass as friends?" Mai asked, cheeks blushing furiously.

"Friends don't hold hands while walking down a market street," Naru said. "Nor do they shop together for one pantry, which happens to be located in one house where they apparently share one room in."

Mai shyly looked away. "But should you really have told him we were married? I mean, it's not like he'll know us permanently," she said. "He'll just be someone…we'll see in the market."

"He sells good produce," Naru said. "It would be beneficial to know someone in the market where we can buy good produce from. We'll be sure we won't get taken advantaged of."

Mai sighed and smiled.

Naru was right. It was good to have friends in the market. That was how she got to buy good food in cheap prices back in Japan.

She suddenly wondered how they were doing – her friends in the market, Emi and her family, Shiro-kun and his parents, Ayako and Bou-san, Yasuhara-san, Haruka-san…

Do they still hate her for leaving them that way?

"We could have just remained honest with him," Mai said. "Tell him we went here together from England."

"You do know what you're saying, don't you?" Naru asked.

Mai looked up confused at Naru.

"Mai, friends in our age and gender don't go from one place to another, staying in one house and staying in one bedroom just because we're friends," he said. "Either we eloped from England and are 'live-in' partners, or we're newly legally married people who have all the right in the world to share one room in one house, even when we're just here for a vacation."

Mai sighed.

Another point for Dr. Oliver Davis!

"So you told him we were newly weds," she said.

"It seemed to be convincing enough as an alibi," Naru said.

"And you said I was pregnant," Mai asked raising a brow at Naru.

"No," he said. "I told him you wanted to eat eggs. But it came out as a craving."

Mai stared at him for a moment before she snickered.

Naru raised a brow at her.

"He actually believed I was pregnant?"

"We were newly weds," Naru said. "Most likely here on a honeymoon, and you were craving for eggs."

Mai chuckled. "I can't believe I actually look like I'm pregnant!"

"A baby bump doesn't show until about 12 weeks," Naru said. "And even then, it won't be easily seen with the clothes you wear."

Mai raised a brow at Naru. "Why do you know so much about baby bumps?" she asked. "Don't tell me you've been preparing yourself to have a child."

"It's called sex education, in case you haven't heard about it," Naru answered.

Mai rolled her eyes. "Pervert."

"There's nothing perverted with studying a normal biological process called reproduction."

Mai looked up at Naru and burst into laughter. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just…I just can't see you showing any care to the opposite sex!"

Naru sighed.

Of course she had to be an idiot. That was why he loved her, right? She was too idiot to be as corrupted as the girls who swooned over him.

Naru smirked.

The thought of him, saying such romantic things, was disgusting to say the least.

"You still haven't told me everything though," Mai said as she calmed herself.

Naru raised a brow at her.

Mai frowned at him – her lips into a pout. "I told you to give me a full and detailed translation of your conversation with him."

Naru sighed and looked away. "He told me organic eggs were best for pregnant women so he gave me a discount there," he said. "Then he said you and I are both beautiful and…you already know that part."

"He said our baby will be beautiful too," Mai said. For a moment there, she wondered if she really was beautiful enough to give Naru a beautiful child.

But she pinched her arm to keep her mind away from the thought.

"But you and the seller talked about something else after that," she said.

"You went berserk about the word 'baby,' remember?" Naru said. "He stared at you like something was wrong so I told him that you do that sudden change in mood a lot. I told him it might be the hormones, and he told me it was possible. He also said you'll get worse in the next months. He specifically said it would be nine months of hell."

Mai frowned. "I really act like a pregnant woman having a mood swing?" she asked.

"You apparently do," he said. "Thinking about it now, he does have a point. Just a few minutes ago, you were glowering at me. Then you chuckled as if I made a joke. And now you're frowning at me as if I took your candy away from you. Are you sure you're not pregnant with anyone's child."

Mai glared at Naru. "What are you talking about! I'M A VIRGIN!"

Naru smirked. "And a proud one, I see."

Mai gasped and looked shyly away. "You made me yell it!"

"I **made** you yell it," Naru said, his smirking growing wider. "Now how did I do that exactly?"

Mai glared at him but his smirk was just too good to ignore. Mai smiled as she turned her head away again.

Naru smiled. "You're not mad at me anymore," he said.

Mai turned to look at Naru. "How do you know?"

"It's all over your face," Naru said leaning his back on the seat and closing his eyes.

Mai looked away, her hands on her cheeks.

All over her face..? She was **that** easy to read?

Did he already know her feelings for him?

Mai looked at Naru again and noticed how calm his face was.

It had been a tiring morning and Naru deserved to rest.

Mai smiled and leaned her head on her seat.

She couldn't help but feel comfortable at where she was at that moment.

Sure, it wasn't Japan and she wasn't in what she called 'home' for several years. But having Naru there with her somehow made it…better than what she expected it to be.

It was just like in England. She walked down the paths that her parents told her so much about when she was young. But she didn't feel as close to 'home' as she thought she would.

The places didn't remind her much of her parents. They just...looked different from the places she grew up in.

It was only after she walked those paths with Naru that they actually meant something to her – that they made more sense in her memories.

She smiled. Whenever she thought of England, she remembered new friends, how Naru found her and saved her life in the market place, how she learned about Naru's true identity...

Mai thought about what Naru said to the seller again.

Naru and Mai were married – just like in those passports. They were newly weds having a vacation, or a honeymoon, and Mai was showing signs of being pregnant. Or she **was** pregnant.

And all of them were lies.

Mai looked sadly down at the paper bag of groceries on her lap.

Right.

They were all lies…just like dreams – figments of imagination. And soon, she would wake up to the truth that nothing was what she thought they were.

"What is it with you and lying anyway?" she whispered, thinking Naru was asleep.

"I don't lie because I want to," Naru answered.

Mai looked up surprised at Naru.

"I lie because I have to," he said.

Mai smiled. "You'll tell me the truth later, though," she said. "Right..?"

Naru opened his eyes and looked at Mai.

She was giving her the same warm smile she gave him that first time he actually paid attention to what she looked like – that time she walked into her doorstep smelling like fish.

He smirked. Despite all the insults and coldness he gave her in those days, she stayed cheerful and caring toward him.

And now, despite knowing about the lies he had weaved and was still weaving around her, she gave him that warm trusting smile.

Naru sighed gently pulled her head to lean on the crook of his neck. "Just trust me."

"I do," Mai whispered, closing her eyes.

* * *

><p>Takumi stared up at the wall where the Emi's family nameplate hung.<p>

He was helping Yasuhara and the others close the bar when he thought about Mai's friends and family in Japan.

If Ayako and Takigawa acted that angrily toward him, how much angrier would Mai's other friends be toward him? But he didn't think Mai told them everything about her trip.

Did she even tell them that she left for England?

Takumi took a deep breath as he stood in front of the gate.

Emi and her family had been Mai's family as well. They had every right to know what happened to her, where she was, and how she was doing.

Takumi sighed and raised his hand to ring the doorbell.

"You're Kaiba Takumi, right?" he heard someone say a few steps away from him.

He turned away from the gate to see who it was and saw Emi. She looked like she had also just got off from work.

If his memory served him right, she kept a clothing stall somewhere in the market place.

"Emi-san," he said shyly bowing to greet her.

Emi bowed back. "You were the one who took Mai-chan to England," she said.

Takumi couldn't keep himself from looking shocked that Emi knew Mai was in England. "Y-yes," he answered.

Emi smiled. "Matsuzaki-san told us about it," she said. "I heard Naru's been taking good care of her. And Yasuhara said you've been helping Naru in getting her back here to Japan."

Takumi shyly looked down and smirked.

He wondered for a moment if Yasuhara already informed that kid, Shiro-kun, about him too.

Emi walked closer to Takumi. "Do you want to come inside?" she asked. "It's getting cold out here."

"Y-yes," he said shyly nodding at Emi.

Emi opened the gate and led Takumi in.

* * *

><p>Lin sat down the couch with Madoka.<p>

They had just arrived in the hotel. Madoka was busy ordering food service on the phone while Martin was busy looking down at Tokyo's nightscape. Luella was in their bedroom changing her clothes.

"Yes," Madoka said in Japanese. "That would be great. Thank you!" She then put the phone down. She turned to look at Lin. "I was able to get your favourite food for tonight's dinner!" she said proudly.

Lin smiled. "Thank you," he said.

"Lin," Martin called.

"Professor..?" Lin said standing up from his seat.

"Have you contacted that family in Shibuya...Seito Emi's..?"

"Yes, I have," Lin answered. "I requested that we meet her in their house tomorrow morning."

The professor nodded. "That's good," he said. "Does she know about Taniyama-san's whereabouts?"

"She knows that Taniyama-san had been in England for the past year," Lin answered. "She said she is yet to find out more about her whereabouts. She seems more than willing to talk to us. She wants Taniyama-san back in their care."

The professor smiled at the nightscape. "That's good."

Madoka looked anxiously up at Lin.

A ring echoed in the room.

"That would be our dinner," Madoka said as she stood up from her seat and walked quickly to the door.

* * *

><p><em>Warning: THE NEXT PART CONTAINS THE FULL TRANSLATION OF THE CONVERSATION BETWEEN NARU AND THE SELLER. <em>

"Are these organic eggs?" Mai heard Naru say.

She quickly turned to look at him and saw him talking to a man in a stall with crates of eggs on display.

"Yes," the seller said proudly. "They're fresh too. This was just released from the farm."

"How much?" Naru asked.

"Two euros, six eggs."

Mai just stared at the two men, clueless as to what they were discussing. She then saw Naru look down at the eggs. There were two crates on display, next to the crates of milk and vegetables that the man also seemed to be selling.

"How much for the non-organic eggs?" Naru asked.

"One euro and ten cents," the man answered. "They're large."

Naru took one of the eggs on one of the two boxes.

Mai noticed how big it was.

"One euro and eight cents," Naru said.

The seller chuckled. "One euro and nine cents," he said.

"One euro and eight cents," Naru said. "My wife and I will take a dozen."

The man looked at Mai and chuckled. "Just married?"

"Yes," Naru said.

The man laughed. "Congratulations! Honeymoon?"

"Yes," Naru answered. "She is craving for eggs."

The man chuckled. "This is good news! I'll give you the organic eggs for one euro and eight cents," he said. "Organic eggs are best for pregnant women."

Mai saw Naru smirk and felt her heart skip.

"Thanks," Naru said. "We'll take a dozen of the organic eggs then."

The man nodded and took out an egg tray that could hold twelve eggs.

Mai just stared in awe at Naru. "So you bought the eggs," she said.

The man smiled up at Mai as he placed twelve eggs on the tray. "You're both beautiful," he said.

Mai smiled stiffly at the man, not knowing what the man just told her. "Hey Naru," she whispered. "What did he just say?"

"He said we're both beautiful," Naru answered, his eyes on the vegetables that the man was also selling.

Mai felt her cheeks burn.

...She was beautiful like Naru?

"Your baby will also be beautiful!" the man said, chuckling at Mai.

Mai chuckled and just nodded at the man. "Neh, Naru," she muttered. "What did he say now?"

"He said our baby will be beautiful too," Naru answered picking up a carrot from the box.

"Oh," Mai said smiling at the man.

Then it hit her.

"WHAT BABY..?"

The seller stared confused at Mai.

"She does those a lot," Naru said looking at the seller. "I think it's the hormones."

"Yes," the seller said. "You'll get more of this as her pregnancy goes – nine months of hell."

Naru smirked.

"I better get used to them," he said.

Mai stared at Naru and the seller as they spoke – panic-stricken.

What on earth were they talking about?

"Naru!" Mai said pulling his sleeves. "What the bloody hell did you tell him about me?"

Naru looked apathetically at Mai. "Do you have vegetables on the list?"

"Y-yes," Mai said quickly checking her market list again.

Naru turned to the seller. "How much for the carrots?"


	10. Chapter 10

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing 'Where is home?' _

_Here is this week's chapter. Do tell me what you think about it ^ _v *

* * *

><p>"I'm very sorry," Takumi said bowing lowly at Emi.<p>

He told her everything he did to get Mai out of the country. He also told her how Mai ended up in the hospital, how he tried to get her back to Japan, and how he failed in doing so.

Emi smiled. "Don't be," she said. "I'm sure Mai-chan wouldn't think bad of you for doing all those things."

Takumi slowly looked up at Emi. "Thank you," he said. "I really want to make it up to you and your family for all the inconveniences that my actions caused you. I'm sure I made you worry so much about Mai-chan's condition."

Emi sighed.

That was true. When Naru told them that Mai was nowhere to be found after her graduation ceremony, they decided to look for her. They contacted the police but they weren't able to find her.

It was Osamu Yasuhara, Mai's employer, who told them what happened. And though they understood why Mai wanted to leave the country, they still didn't think it was right for her to go, especially when her trip was organized by illegal recruiters.

They hoped for the past two years that they would see Mai-chan knocking on their door one morning, with that cheerful smile on her face. They hoped that one day the mailman would stop by their gate and give them a handwritten letter from her, telling them how she was doing in England. They even hoped that one day they would hear Mai's voice when they picked up the ringing phone.

But it didn't happen. And based on what she had heard from Yasuhara, Ayako, and Takumi that day, it was yet to happen.

Emi felt guilty about what happened to Mai. If she adopted her, Mai wouldn't have left for England. If Emi insisted that she received custody over Mai...

There wasn't a day when she didn't pray to Mai's mother, her friend, for forgiveness. She promised to take care of Mai but she failed.

Then a couple of weeks ago, Kami-sama gave her the chance to make it all up to Mai and Mai's mother.

She received a call from Naru's family, asking her help to look for Naru and Mai who turned out to have escaped illegally from England. They were in danger of being locked in jail.

Naru's family wanted Naru back safe just as much as Emi and her family wanted Mai back in their care.

Emi may have understood that Naru and Mai had formed a special bond between them and she knew how good Naru was as a man for her, but for the two to get out of the country in such manner was highly improper.

Mai needed to get back home to them. She had to think things over. She must have gone with Naru because she thought she had no choice.

But she had a choice. She had the choice of going back to Japan and living her life without him. A man who had no courage to get Mai's hand properly was not someone they would accept as Mai's husband.

Add to that the fact that Naru, according to his family, was already engaged to someone. He was probably having wedding jitters and he was just using Mai to avoid the marriage.

Mai was no tool. She had to realize that she wasn't something anyone could use that way.

So Emi decided to help Naru's family. What his family needed was information. Mai's family in Japan seemed more informed about what was going on than Naru's family in England were.

That was something Emi could help Naru's family with. She agreed to give them any information that would be useful to their search. She even went to Yasuhara and Ayako to get more information about Mai and Naru's whereabouts.

Then Takumi visited their house – a sign that she was doing the right thing. Takumi seemed to be the best source of information on Naru and Mai that she could have.

"You said Naru and Mai left England," Emi said.

"Yes," Takumi answered. "They rode a train out of England. That was the last time I saw them."

Emi nodded. "Do you know, by any chance, where they were headed to?"

"I do," Takumi said. "I was the one who bought the tickets for them. Naru gave me money and ordered me to prepare everything for the trip."

Emi smiled. "Can you tell me where they are now?"

* * *

><p>Mai stared at Naru as he watched him wash the dishes.<p>

They had just finished eating lunch when Naru stood up and told her he would wash the dishes.

She didn't think Naru actually knew how to clean the dining table after eating. And she definitely didn't think Naru was someone who actually let his hands dirty in the sink.

Mai watched Naru as he wiped the stain of the pot roast, she cooked, on the plate away using the soapy sponge.

He didn't seem to mind how the sauce touched his fingers.

"What are you looking at?" she heard Naru say.

Mai looked shyly up at Naru. "N-nothing," she said.

Naru sighed and rolled his eyes. "Right," he said. "You weren't staring at me since I started washing the dishes."

Mai looked away – her cheeks flushed. "I wasn't staring at you," she defended.

"Why are you still standing beside me then?" Naru asked.

Mai tried to think of a good alibi but her brain didn't seem cooperative at the moment.

"Me washing the dishes is that surprising to you?" Naru asked as he finished wiping the plates and went on to wash the pot where Mai cooked the pot roast.

"You're Dr. Oliver Davis," Mai said. "You're the renowned handsome science genius of England."

Naru smirked. "You still think I'm handsome," he said.

Mai stiffened. "Florence won't swoon over you if you weren't," she muttered, trying not to look at Naru's face.

Naru kept his eyes and smirk on Mai. "So you think I'm handsome."

"Y-yes," Mai answered.

Naru smiled. "You haven't lost your good taste," he said, rinsing the glasses after he finished wiping the stains on the ladle.

Mai frowned and looked up at Naru. "You're so full of yourself," she said.

"You still think I'm handsome."

"Jerk!" she said before she pulled the clean rag hanging near the sink and started drying the dining wares that Naru had finished rinsing.

Naru watched her for a moment before he went on to rinse the plates.

"Don't you have maids in your house?" Mai asked.

"Did Gene tell you he and I were orphans?" Naru asked.

Mai gasped and looked up at Naru. "Oh yeah!" she exclaimed. "Gene didn't, but Florence told me you were adopted by your parents."

Naru sighed and nodded.

Blame the tabloids.

"We were adopted by the Davis family when we were kids," he said. "They picked us in an orphanage in England. They just finished investigating on a case back then. They couldn't have a child of their own and decided to adopt a child."

Mai wached Naru's face turn serious.

He must be missing Gene. Remembering his childhood involved seeing Gene's face in his memories.

"They saw us and they thought we were special," Naru said recalling how Luella answered Gene's first question when they got home – why they chose to adopt them...both of them.

The people in the orphanage knew that something was wrong with them. Those who noticed how strange things started happening in the orphanage when they arrived thought that a ghost followed them in the orphanage.

It scared the children. Even Gene, who was the friendly one of the twins, was isolated by the other orphans because he didn't leave Noll's side – because he defended him from all the nasty rumours they were making.

A lot of couples wanted to adopt Gene and leave Noll behind. Gene had always been the pleasant one. Noll didn't care much about how people didn't want him. He didn't want himself either.

But Gene didn't leave him. He did his best to annoy whoever wanted to adopt him but not Noll.

The only couple who took them in without question were Martin and Luella Davis - the people who thought both of them were special, and who believed both of them deserved a home.

"We did house chores in the orphanage so I know how to wash dishes," Naru said.

Mai looked down at the plate she was drying. "I'm sorry," she said.

Naru raised a brow at Mai. "What?"

"I...reminded you of Gene," Mai said.

Naru shrugged his shoulders. It wasn't like he couldn't see Gene anymore. Sometimes he really wished that he just crossed over.

"I grew up with him," he said. "I'll always remember him, even if you don't ask me about him."

Mai looked up at Naru.

He didn't seem to be upset about what he said.

Mai smiled and dried the pot Naru rinsed while Naru wiped the sink dry with another rag.

"I'm going upstairs," Naru said after Mai put the pot away.

"Okay," Mai said, smiling warmly at him.

Naru turned away and headed for the door. But he paused by the doorframe. "The pot roast was good," he said.

Mai felt her cheeks burn.

"I thought you didn't know how to cook," he said keeping his eyes away from Mai. "You didn't cook when I lived with you in Japan."

Mai smiled shyly. "I didn't think you'd like eating instant noodles," she said. "That was all I had in my kitchen at that time."

Naru started to walk out of the kitchen.

"You're pretty good at washing dishes too," Mai said. "I thought you didn't know anything about house chores because you're...rich."

Naru smirked. "I didn't expect you to think in the first place," he said.

Mai frowned and glared at Naru. "JERK!"

Naru ignored it and walked up to the office.

He had to start a living if they were going to stay there for awhile.

* * *

><p>"Good morning, John-san," Masako greeted as she stood in front of the door.<p>

It was nine in the morning and John had just opened the door to meet a visitor. He just finished preparing his breakfast when he heard the doorbell of the priest's quarters rang.

"Ah! Good morning, Hara-san," John said, smiling brightly at her. "I didn't expect you to arrive here this early."

"My apologies," Masako said. "I had nothing to do at home so I figured I should just come here to meet you. If I interrupted anything I-"

John chuckled. "No, no," he said. "You didn't interrupt anything. In fact, you're just in time for breakfast. I hope you won't mind sharing it with me today. My colleagues left early for a seminar."

"Not at all," Masako said smiling at John. "I didn't eat much for breakfast anyway."

John slightly stepped away from the door. "Then come inside, Hara-san," he said.

"Thank you," Masako said as she followed John inside.

* * *

><p>"I met Emi-san yesterday," Yasuhara heard Ayako say as she sat in the bar counter eating breakfast with Takigawa.<p>

It was early morning and Ayako decided to eat breakfast there before she left for home. It was her day off and she planned to sleep the day away after the whole week of overworking herself in the hospital and helping out in the bar the night before.

Yasuhara was on his way out of the office to get something to eat when he overheard Ayako and Takigawa's conversation.

"Emi-san?" Takigawa asked as he sat next to Ayako. He was prodding one of the strips of bacon on his plate with a fork. "That woman who you said was Mai-chan's neighbor?"

"That's the one," Ayako said before sipping her steamy cup of espresso. "She also acted like Mai-chan's guardian." She then sliced the eggroll on her plate with a fork.

Takigawa smirked. "Jou-chan's a guardian magnet," he said after chewing the piece of bacon that he stuffed in his mouth.

Ayako shrugged her shoulders. "I can't blame her," she said. "She's a danger magnet. She needs all the guardianship she can get. She's just too stubborn to accept that she needs to be adopted."

Yasuhara suddenly wondered why Emi would meet with Ayako. Sure, they had known each other thanks to their relationship with Mai.

He was about to shrug the information off when he heard Ayako say more about her meeting with Emi.

"Anyway," Ayako continued. "Emi-san asked me about Mai-chan's whereabouts – how she was doing, and if she was still in England. I think she was more interested in where Mai-chan is, though."

Yasuhara stiffened.

He met Emi the day before. She asked him about Mai's whereabouts as well. She also asked him where she was at the moment.

Was it just a coincidence that he and Ayako met Emi, and spoke about a similar topic - where Mai was?

"She must miss Mai-chan too," Takigawa said. "When did you meet Emi-san again?"

"Yesterday," Ayako answered. "I was about to get out of the hospital when she visited me in my office."

Yasuhara stared shocked at Ayako.

"Matsuzaki-san," Ayako and Takigawa heard Yasuhara say.

They turned to see him. "Oh! Good morning, Yasu," Ayako greeted. "You want some-"

"Did you tell Emi-san where Mai-chan and Naru are?" he anxiously asked.


	11. Chapter 11

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing "Where is home?"_

_I know I'm late...I'm so sorry!_

_Anyway, here's the next chapter for this week. Do tell me what you think about it _^ v ^

* * *

><p>"I heard you're having another season for your show," John said as he sliced the sunnyside-up egg on his plate.<p>

He served their breakfast – bacon and eggs with toast, and tea – in the garden. Masako sat in front of him.

"Yes," Masako shyly nodded. "It's our fourth season. I didn't think people would want another one."

John chuckled. "Your show is quite interesting to watch," he said. "I've learned a lot of things about paranormal activity here in Japan from your show.

Masako looked surprised at John. "You watch my show?"

"Yes," John shyly answered. "I watch it when I don't have much to do. I think it's only right that you get another season for it."

Masako smiled. "Thank you," she said. "So, I heard you just got back from England?"

Masako nodded. "About that," Masako said. "I remember in the banquet, you and Oliver-san spoke to each other."

John nodded, trying hard not to show how worried he was at where their conversation was going. "Yes," he said. "I talked to him. He invited me to attend the conference."

"Ah yes," Masako said. "Have you two been…friends for a long time? I'm just curious."

John sipped his tea. "I met him around two years ago," he said placing the cup of tea back on the saucer. "That same day I called you on the phone to ask for help about his brother, Eugene Davis. Eugene is the one I've known for quite a while."

"Oh," Masako said.

She expected John to be Oliver's long-time friend in Japan – a friend Oliver would share his whereabouts with. But perhaps Oliver **did** tell him about where he was.

"Have you heard any news from him lately?" Masako asked.

"No, I haven't," John said. "Is there something wrong?"

"Well…He went missing before I left England," Masako said.

"Missing..?" John asked.

"Yes," Masako said nodding. "His parents believe he flew here to Japan with a woman."

John stared at Masako for a moment. "You…mean…He…eloped with someone?"

Masako shyly looked away. "Well I hardly think that's the word for it," she said, ignoring how her conscience agreed with the priest. "Anyway, the girl is Japanese," Masako said looking up at John. "He met her here in Japan two years ago, and his parents believe that they are here in Japan at this very minute."

John nodded.

"Are you sure you haven't heard anything about him?" Masako asked.

John sadly looked at Masako. "I'll be honest with you, Hara-san," he said. "I exchanged emails with him a month ago. He told me to start contacting him through email because he was going to be on a trip."

"What trip?" Masako asked excitedly. "Did you know what trip it was? Where he was going?"

"What I read on his last email was that he was going to work on an SPR case in Zurich," John said. "That's all I remember on the email. I can check it again for you."

Masako sighed and tried to smile at John. "It's alright," she said. "I believe you."

John looked sadly at Masako. "I'm sorry," he said. "You share a special bond with him, don't you?"

Masako smirked and shook her head. "I wish I do," she said. "But he doesn't see me the way I want him to."

John placed his hand on Masako's – a warm smile on his face. "You're a beautiful lady, Hara-san," he said. "And you're a beautiful person too. I'm sure there's someone out there for you, be it Dr. Davis or someone else."

Masako felt blood rush up her cheeks. She looked shyly away. "No one…has actually said I'm a beautiful person before," she said.

John chuckled. "I'm sure they're just too shy to tell you about it," he said.

Masako looked up at John and smiled.

Sometimes she wondered how things would be if John wasn't a priest. Then again, she might not have met him if he wasn't a man of God. Afterall, they first met each other in a paranormal case somewhere in Japan.

* * *

><p>"I didn't," Ayako answered.<p>

Yasuhara's panicked face softened.

"What's going on, Yasu?" Takigawa asked.

Yasuhara shook his head. "It's nothing," he said. "I'm sorry."

Ayako frowned. "Well I'm not letting you go back to your office without an explanation!" she said, standing up from her seat.

"Me too," Takigawa said, following Ayako.

Yasuhara looked up at them and smirked. "I **knew** you two were dating," he teased.

Takigawa and Ayako stiffened, blood rushing to their cheeks.

"There's no way I'm dating this hag!" Takigawa shouted just as Ayako shouted "There's no way I'm dating this pervert!"

Yasuhara burst into laughter.

"Oi!" Takigawa said glaring at Yasuhara. "You're just trying to evade my question."

"Bou-san's right," Ayako said trying hard to stop her self from blushing. "What's going on? Why shouldn't we tell Emi where Mai-chan is?"

Yasuhara chuckled and walked to the counter to get some breakfast. "I just had a bad hunch," he said.

"What do you mean by that?" Ayako asked as she took her seat again. Takigawa also sat back on his chair.

Yasuhara took a plate of sandwich from the kitchen and took a seat at the counter in front of Ayako and Takigawa.

"Emi-san met me yesterday," he said. "She asked me how Mai-chan was, and later where she was."

"Eh?" Ayako said. "What time did she ask you about her?"

"I believe that was around lunch time," Yasuhara said. "She went to my office just to ask about Mai-chan."

Takigawa folded his arms on his chest. "So she wasn't satisfied with the information you gave," he said. "That's why she met Baa-chan here in the hospital."

"Yeah," Ayako said. She then realized that Takigawa called her Baa-chan. She quickly hurled her fist at the top of his head, making Takigawa yell out in pain.

Yasuhara ignored what happened and took a bite at his sandwich before he spoke. "Naru's parents are here looking for him," he said. "They believe he's somewhere here in Japan. They plan to talk to people who Naru supposedly spoke with two years ago here in Shibuya."

"EH? NARU'S PARENTS ARE HERE?" Ayako and Takigawa exclaimed. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US?"

Yasuhara smiled. "It didn't seem important at the time," he said.

"NOT IMPORTANT? THIS IS MAI'S REPUTATION ON THE LINE!" they both said.

"So they'll talk to us too?" Ayako asked.

Takigawa gasped. "Prof. Davis and his wife are going to talk to us," he breathlessly said.

"Oh get over it, fan boy!" Ayako said glaring at Takigawa.

"I'm not a fan boy," Takigawa said glaring back at Ayako. "It's just not everyday that you get to meet a prominent person in the field of paranormal science, you know."

Ayako rolled her eyes.

Yasuhara chuckled. "It won't be that rare if they become Mai-chan's parents-in-law."

Ayako and Takigawa nodded. "WAIT!" they exclaimed, realizing what Yasuhara said. "MAI-CHAN'S GOING TO MARRY NARU?"

Yasuhara laughed. "I was just kidding!" he said. "You should see your faces."

Ayako and Takigawa glared at Yasuhara. "That's not a good joke," they said.

"As much as I like Naru over Takumi for Mai-chan," Ayako said. "I still think they're still too early to get married, let alone have children."

"I agree," Takigawa said. "Though I won't exactly want Mai-chan to not get married and have children by the time she reaches Ayako's age. That would just be terrible."

Ayako glared at Takigawa. "What do you mean by that exactly?"

Yasuhara chuckled. "Anyway, if they get enough information from Emi-san, I doubt they would try to contact you."

"By enough you mean if Emi-san tells them where Mai-chan is, right?" Takigawa asked.

Yasuhara nodded.

"Well I didn't tell her where they are," Ayako said. "You didn't either," she said looking at Yasuhara. "Where else will she get information about where Mai-chan is? Haruka-san doesn't know anything about it either."

Yasuhara nodded. He was about to take bite his sandwich again when it hit him.

"Takumi-san," he muttered.

"Takumi?" Ayako and Takigawa asked.

* * *

><p>Lin pulled out his vibrating mobile phone from his pocket, checked the screen to see who was calling, pressed the Accept button, and held the phone against his ear.<p>

It was early morning and they were just about to have breakfast. Madoka and Luella were busy dressing up and ordering breakfast. The professor himself was busy checking his emails from SPR.

"Emi-san," Lin greeted. "Good morning. This is Lin."

"Lin-san, good morning," Emi said from the other line. "I hope I didn't bother you."

"No, I was also about to call you about our appointment with you today," he said. "Is this afternoon still alright?"

"Yes," she said. "I also don't have much to do this morning."

"Ah! That's wonderful," Lin said. "Can we meet you later at 10?"

"Yes, absolutely," she said.

"Thank you, Emi-san," Lin said. "Do you want to speak with the professor?"

"Oh no," she said. "I just called to tell you that I think I have a clue on where Mai-chan and Noru-san are."

Lin stiffened. "You…do..?"

"Yes," Emi-san said. "I spoke with the forger Noru-san had contact with in Europe. He bought the tickets that Noru-san and Mai-chan used in their trip."

Lin stiffened.

They were going to find Noll. They were going to find Noll **soon**. He could feel it.

"That's…great news! I will tell the professor," he said.

"Lin-san," Emi said.

"Y-yes..?"

"I…I just wondered…Noru-san…is of a-age too, isn't he?"

Lin looked down at Shibuya's morning scape from his bedroom window.

He knew what she was thinking.

"I have nothing against Noru-san," she said. "I just want him to do it properly."

"I understand," Lin said. "I…I have nothing against Taniyama-san as well. Things…just need to be sorted out first..."

Emi smiled. "Thank you, Lin-san." She ended the call and looked up at the only family picture Emi and his family had with Mai.

She looked at Mai's cheerful face as she sat on the ground beside Yui.

Emi remembered how happy Mai was back then. She missed being part of a family, though she never admitted it. Mai had always been scared of bothering others for her needs.

Emi sighed. She remembered what Takumi told her before he left the night before.

Takumi told her where Mai and Naru supposedly were. Emi realized how Takumi liked Mai when he told her everything that night.

"You left Mai-chan in Naru's care," Emi said. "Why?"

Takumi smirked. "Aside from the fact that Mai-chan chose him?" he asked. "This is humiliating for me but I have to be honest. I…haven't seen Mai as happy and as complete as she was when she met Naru two years ago here in Japan. Before she met him, she looked like her futile optimism was the only thing waking her up every morning. But when she met him, it's like…it's like she wakes up every morning because she wants to wake up every morning. It's hard to explain. But that's how it's like."

Emi stared confused at Takumi.

Takumi chuckled and looked down shyly. "I thought having such harsh life conditions in England would sadden her," he said. "Would break her…Perhaps it did. But she really looked better when she met Naru there again. Even when she was in the hospital with all those broken bones, she was…happy."

Takumi looked up at Emi. "Naru, I think, is a part of Mai-chan that no one, even me, can replace," he said. "…Unless one day she really chooses otherwise. Naru himself is like a family to her – a family where she truly belonged, just as Naru sees her as his own family. And because of that I felt…I **believe** that Mai will be safe with him. She will be happy with him."

Emi looked at the Mai's smiling face on the picture again. She was in highschool when they took that picture. Her hair was newly cut short. She knew a pair of shorts that made showed how much thinner she was than other highschool girls.

She wondered what Mai looked like at that very moment.

Was she taller…slightly bigger..? Was her hair longer? Was she eating well? Was she happy?

Emi remembered that evening Mai introduced Naru to her family. The two didn't seem to notice it but Emi and her family did – that unspoken bond between them that didn't look too inappropriate for their age.

They acted like a mature couple.

Emi's vision suddenly blurred. She wiped the tears forming in her eyes and smiled.

"I just want everything to be properly done, Mai-chan," she said. "If he really is serious about making a family with you for good, he should understand."

* * *

><p>Mai sneezed, covering her nose with her two hands as she sat on the bed.<p>

Naru stared at her.

It was evening and he was about to turn the lamp shade off when Mai sneezed.

"Are you having a cold?" he asked.

"No," Mai said shaking her head and jumping off the bed. She ran into the bathroom.

Naru immediately heard water splashing from the faucet. Then everything went silent. He saw Mai a moment after, walking out of the toilet – the scent of rubbing alcohol touching his nose.

Mai got on the bed, covering her legs with the blanket. She suddenly felt Naru's hand over her forehead.

She stiffened and shyly looked down at her hands.

Naru pulled his hand away – sure that Mai's body temperature was normal.

"Somone must have thought about me," Mai said. "That's all."

Naru grunted and turned the light off. "It better not be a man," he muttered.

"What..?"

"I said go to sleep," he said scooting closer to Mai so the blanket covered both of them.

Mai shrugged her shoulders and sunk into the bed. She turned her back on Naru.

Naru on the other hand pulled her closer to his chest.

Mai felt her heart skip a beat as she felt his body close to her back. She could feel every thump that his heart made.

"Neh, Naru," she said.

"What?"

"What if I'm really sick?" she asked. "Won't you get infected since you're well…c-close…to me?"

"I'm not you," he said.

Mai scowled. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't get sick that easily," he said.

Mai glared at the darkness looming the room. "Says someone who faints when he uses his powers," she muttered.

"Mai."

"What?"

"Good night."

Mai froze. He must be very tired. He had been typing in the office just a few steps away from the bedroom, since they ate lunch that day. She figured he was doing some work-related tasks on his laptop.

"G-good night," she said as she relaxed her body on the bed.

Naru tightened his hold on her and buried his face in her hair.

On the office desk sat his open laptop – a blinking image of a yellow envelope flashing on the screen. With it flashed Yasuhara's full name and "Subject: We have a problem."


	12. Chapter 12

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing 'Where is home?' ^ _v

_I'm terribly sorry about the late update. I don't like missing deadlines but I've been really busy these past weeks, especially last week. I was really thinking of not uploading anything last week since I missed my upload schedule. And I was thinking of doing the same thing for this update since I'm hours late. _

_I just figured I can still squeeze this in my to-do list so here it is - this week's chapter!_

_Do tell me what you think about it. ^ _v_ * And next time, when I really can't update this on time next week, I'll make sure to upload the chapt on time the following week so we don't get lost on the schedule. Tah!_

* * *

><p>"They're not in Japan," Martin said in Japanese as he sat across Emi with Luella, Lin and Madoka.<p>

As agreed, the four met Emi that morning in the Seito residence. Emi served them tea in the living room.

"Yes," Emi said. "That's what Takumi-kun said. He also said he expected to buy them airplane tickets to Japan. But Noru-san told him to just buy train tickets instead."

"Instead," Martin said looking down the cups of tea on the center table. "That means he was planning to go here, but thought better of it." He looked up smirking. "Of course," he said. "This is Noll we're talking about. He won't go here because he knows this is the first place we'll go to look for him."

Luella looked anxiously at her hands.

They were going to ruin Noll's plan. She wanted to see her son again and meet Mai Taniyama but…was it really time for them to meet them?

Madoka squeezed Lin's hand.

Lin looked at her. He saw how worried she was.

Madoka wasn't one to look sad or worried.

He squeezed her hand back to tell her everything was going to be alright.

That was what he was hoping.

"Where did they go then?" Martin asked.

"Takumi-kun said they left at St. Pancras International Station. The train ticket he bought for them were for trips to-"

* * *

><p>"WHAT?" Naru asked gripping his mobile phone close to his ear.<p>

He was in the office room of the house – Yasuhara's mail open on his laptop screen.

"I felt guilty, okay?" Takumi's voice echoed from the other line. "I didn't know Emi-san was coordinating with your parents."

Naru took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. "When did you tell her about this?"

"Last night..?" Takumi anxiously answered.

"That would be yesterday afternoon your time," Yasuhara's voice echoed on the other line.

"They've spoken to each other by now then," Naru said as he walked quickly back to his laptop and began opening an internet browser. "Yasuhara-san, how are the papers?"

"I'm just waiting for the city office to release the final document," Yasuhara answered.

"And the passes..?" Naru asked as he searched for flights online.

"It's still being processed," Takumi answered.

"Get another pass while you're waiting," Naru said as he checked the flight schedules online. "I'll mail you the instructions in a minute."

"O-Okay," Takumi replied.

"Are you sure that's what you told her?" Naru asked.

"W-What?" Takumi asked.

"The place where we are," Naru said glaring at the laptop monitor as his fingers typed in a different departure date and time.

"Yes!" Takumi answered. "That's what I told her."

"Alright," Naru said scrolling down the list of flights. "Wait for my email."

"Got it," Yasuhara said before Naru ended the call and placed his phone on the table.

Mai watched him type quickly on his laptop from the door way – his eyes fixed on the laptop monitor.

She was walking down the hall and looking for him when he heard him talking to someone on the phone. She stopped by the open office door and noticed him typing things on the laptop while making a conversation on the phone.

Mai just found out that she was running out of toiletries. She wanted to go to the grocery store to buy what she needed but she didn't know enough Dutch to buy herself anything.

She didn't even know how to get to the grocery.

So Mai decided to ask Naru to go with her to the grocery store. But after seeing Naru busy in the office, she thought that doing so was a bad idea.

What Naru seemed to be doing, was urgent. She would only cause him delay if she asked him to go with her. He might even tell her to scram and go there on her own, based on the mood he was in.

Mai sighed and decided to go to the library instead. She knew she saw a book about learning Dutch there somewhere. She might even find a map that she can use to look for a grocery store.

Naru looked up at the open office door just as Mai walked away from it.

He thought someone was standing there just a few moments ago.

* * *

><p>"How was your interview?" Baehler asked from the other end of the line.<p>

Lin, Madoka, Martin and Luella were back in the hotel. Luella and Martin were packing their things while Madoka reserved a flight back to England by phone for the four of them.

Lin decided to call Baehler after making sure him and Madoka's things were packed in their luggage.

"They're not here in Japan," Lin said.

"WOW!" Baehler exclaimed. "You got quite an accurate hunch then!"

"Thank you," Lin answered. "Were you able to find anything?"

"Ah, the properties you mean?" Baehler asked. "Well the properties in Scotland are clean. I found several other properties in France, Ireland and Denmark – other than the ones I told you before, that is. The other properties were already legally transferred to different names. I think some of the titles were already transferred to Mortimer's servants. I'm in Cognac right now. I'm about to check the fifth property out of the seven documented properties I found here in France."

"I see," Lin said. "We'll be on a flight back to England soon. I'll help you check on the other properties once I get there."

"Sure," Baehler said. "Hey, ah…Did you learn anything about the doctor's lady? Is she not someone he should marry?"

Lin thought for a moment.

Emi's description of Mai was a caring orphan girl who did things on her own because she was afrad of being a burden to others. She didn't want to be adopted because she didn't want to live on people's pity.

That surely wasn't the description of someone who wanted to take advantage of anyone.

"She's...okay," Lin answered.

Baehler burst into laughter. "Why are we looking for them then?" he asked. "If the lady's good to be the doctor's wife, I see no reason for us to get them away from each other."

Lin sighed. "If only it's that simple," he said. "You know the professor."

"And I know you," Baehler said. "You can do something about this."

Lin stared at his luggage and thought for a moment. "I'll call you back when we get to England."

"No problem!"

Lin ended the call and sat down on the bed.

Noll and Mai were of age. Though they may seem too young to get married, they legally could. And it wasn't like they looked like teenage couples who wanted nothing but to snuggle in a corner or do something interesting in the dark.

They were just as Emi described in their conversation back in the Seito house – a mature couple. The bond was there, but they didn't explicitly show it like young couples did.

Lin remembered how Naru and Mai held hands in the market. They seemed intimate, but the way they held hands didn't look too intimate for anyone else to see.

"Koujo?" Lin heard Madoka call from the door way.

He looked up at her.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she walked toward him and sat beside him on the bed.

Lin smiled at her. "You have a point," he said taking Madoka's hand in his.

Madoka raised a brow at him.

Lin raised Madoka's hand to his lips.

"I'll find Noll," he said before he kissed her hand and looked at her. "I'll find Noll before the professor does."

Madoka stared surprised at Lin. But she understood what Lin said after a while and smiled warmly at him. She then leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Everything will be alright," she said.

Lin nodded.

* * *

><p>Mai walked to the kitchen dressed in a moss green jacket with a pink slim fit tee underneath, a pair of grey ¾ khaki pants, and a pair of black high cut sneakers.<p>

She held the "Traveller's Pocket Guide to Amsterdam: Speaking in Dutch" book she took from the library in her hand. It had a map of Amsterdam and a map of the stores and stalls that were in the area. The map included what Mai remembered was the village she and Naru were living in.

She placed the book on the counter, pulled out a notebook from her bag, tore a page off it and pulled out a pen from her bag's pocket.

Mai opened the pages of the book that contained the map of markets in Amsterdam. She then wrote a note on the paper, copying the name of the place on the map that she planned to go to.

After writing the note, she placed the paper on the fridge and fixed it on the surface with a magnet that looked like a colourful three-storey house – a house that resembled what Mai saw when they went to town.

She then walked out to the back door with the book in hand, checking the map for what bus she should ride to get to the place.

"Hoeveel kost het?" she said, trying to mimic how Naru said it when they went to the market place.

Hopefully she could buy something with how bad her Dutch seemed to sound like.

* * *

><p>Naru after sending Yasuhara an email checked his email inbox for any notice concerning articles he needed to write, or documents he needed to review.<p>

It was his sideline job – writing articles, and reviewing people's thesis and dissertations. And it was quite a lucrative sideline, what with his name and credibility.

Of course he didn't let his parents, or Lin, know that he had a job other than teaching in the university.

Gene had a similar moonlighting job when he was alive. Both of them used the money they earned to store money in their secret joined bank account.

And at that moment, Naru was using the money he was getting from the job to save money for him and Mai.

Naru sighed as he sent the copy of the reviewed 287-page dissertation to its owner via email. It was tiring to stare at the monitor that long without wearing any glasses.

He put his laptop in sleep mode and stood up from his seat.

"Mai," he called, thinking Mai was somewhere on the first floor since the second floor seemed silent. He walked to the hallway, stretching his arms. "Mai," he called again as he walked down the stairs. "Mai, tea!" he said as he walked to the kitchen.

To his surprise, no one was there.

Naru checked the living room and the bathroom. He walked back upstairs and checked the library, the office and the bedroom. He even ran outside and checked the garden and the lawn.

Mai wasn't there.

Panic slowly seeped into his senses.

Where was Mai? Where did she go? Why wasn't she there? WHO TOOK HER?

"MAI!" Naru yelled as he walked back into the kitchen through the back door. It was then that he noticed a handwritten note in English on the black fridge.

"Naru, I'm going to Jordaan District. I need to buy some toiletries. I'll be back soon. Mai," Naru read.

Naru cursed.

Did Mai have any idea how big Jordaan District was? Did she have enough money to ride a cab or a bus? And she couldn't speak Dutch! How the bloody hell was she getting there?

HOW THE BLOODY HELL WAS SHE GETTING BACK HOME?

Naru quickly ran up the stairs to change his clothes, repeatedly muttering the word "idiot" in Japanese.

Hopefully, he wouldn't need to call the police for help in finding her.


	13. Chapter 13

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing "Where is home?"_

_I'm terribly sorry I wasn't able to upload a chapter last week. But as I said before, for situations like last week, I'll upload a chapter once in two weeks. I'm not sure if I'll keep up with the once in two weeks schedule, but I'll still try for uploading chapters weekly. _

_Here's a chapter (hopefully just) for this week. Do tell me what you think about it. * _v_ * _

* * *

><p>Mai stared at the blue sign on a brick walled building. It read "Lindengracht Centrum."<p>

Mai smiled.

That meant she was somewhere in Lindengracht right?

It was Saturday and according to her tour guide book, a general market should be found somewhere in Lindengracht, Jordaan.

Mai looked around and noticed a number of people walking down the street. Much of them, holding paper bags of bread, flowers, fruits and vegetables.

Mai wondered which direction she should go. She could already spot several stalls by the street from where she stood. They were usually in front of tall crimson to brown several-storey houses that looked like the magnet they had on their refridgerator door. But she noticed that a lot of people holding paper bags of goods were walking away from the right side of the street.

Perhaps the main market was that way.

Mai opened the book in her hand and turned the page to the map of Jordaan District. Lindengracht was supposed to be one long strip of street. Maybe she just had to walk on either side of the street to see more market stalls.

Mai closed her book and took a deep breath. "Eenie," she began subtly pointing a finger to her left. "Meeny," she said pointing to her righ. "Miny," she said pointing to her left again. "Moe," she said pointing finally to her right.

She sighed and nodded. "Right it is," she said as she walked to the left side of the street.

* * *

><p>Naru stepped out of the tram in Marnixstraat glaring daggers at everything around him.<p>

How on earth was he going to look for Mai? Even if the district was a place that people just walk around in, it had several streets, stores, and stalls where Mai might hide in while he's on the street seeking her.

The cursed note just had Jordaan District on it! She could be anywhere in Jordaan District!

Naru stiffened as he looked around the tramp stop. He had noticed how many people rode the tram to the district and realized what day it was.

Naru started crossing the road from Marnixstraat to walk down Marnixplein. He then turned left to walk down Lijnbaansgracht.

Saturday was the day for Lindenmarkt. Hopefully Mai had an idea about that fact. Or at the very least, he hoped that Mai noticed the general market in one of the streets of Jordaan District.

Mai gasped at the sight of the long strip of stalls and stores on the street. Flocks of people were there – some of them checking out the various merchandises, and some of them just stralling down the street glancing at the various products displayed on each stall.

Mai tried hard not to look too excited at everything around her. She walked down the concrete pavement glancing at crates of luscious apples, sweet smelling melons, succulent peaches, round oranges, large watermelons, fresh vegetables, huge wheels and blocks of cheeses, lovely pots of plants and colourful flowers. She smelled the scent of freshly cooked bread, sizzling herbed meats and fish…

Mai noticed how the restaurants catered to quite a number of customers. She also noticed a range of bicylcles parked securely near the stores and restaurants. So Lindenmarkt was really that popular.

She walked on, hoping to see a grocery store of some sort where she would be able to buy some toiletries.

Naru was about to walk down Lindenmarkt when he thought about Mai's note.

Toiletries.

Naru sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

He turned away, not noticing how Mai stood just a couple of steps away from him – admiring the size of Dutch cheeses on a stall.

* * *

><p>"Oh dear," John said as he placed his cup of coffee down on the table.<p>

Yasuhara met him in a restaurant. He wanted to ask how John's interview with Masako went, before he went back to the bar to work.

"So his family is on their way to England now," John continued.

Yasuhara shook his head. "According to my sources, the soonest flight they were able to reserve was later this evening," he said.

"What's his reaction to all of this?" John asked.

"He's made up new plans," Yasuhara answered. "I'm still amazed at how quick his brain works. He didn't seem too disturbed or worried when we spoke to him on the phone about it."

John chuckled. "Gene said he's always been a 'control freak'," he said. "Pardon the adjective."

Yasuhara chuckled. "It suits him perfectly," he said.

John smiled. "I think he acts that way because he's highly intuitive," he said. "Not that he's a seer or anything. I just think he's very good at inferring things accurately."

Yasuhara nodded. "I agree," he said. "He's quite a scary opponent, even without his talent, isn't he?"

John chuckled. "I find just his stare terrifying enough to see," he said.

Yasuhara laughed. "That's very true!" he said. "How did your date with Hara-san go by the way?"

John smiled sadly. "Just as I expected," he said. "She was really disappointed when I told her I have no idea where he is," he said.

Yasuhara nodded. "You still don't want to know where they are exactly?" he asked. "I doubt she'd still talk to you about it after your conversation earlier."

John shook his head. "I know," he said sighing. "But just in case she does, I don't want to lie to her."

Yasuhara smiled. "You'd make a good boyfriend," he said. "I hear girls swoon over men who don't like to lie to them."

John chuckled. "Thank you," he said. "But I'm already taken."

Yasuhara laughed. "By the way, we need a hand on Oliver-san's plan B."

"Oh," John said. "How can I lend a hand?"

* * *

><p>Mai gazed at the clothes displayed on a stall. They looked similar to the clothes that were sold back in England. But their tags were different – Dutch. She also noticed a stall that displayed colourful Dutch slippers.<p>

She smiled and held one of them, realizing that they were made of wood.

There were other tourists who were clamouring over Dutch slippers beside her. They were trying on several colourful pairs and laughing at how it looked on them.

Mai smiled.

She wondered if Naru would like to have a pair, just as a souvenir. They looked really cute with their vibrant colours and detailed designs. One pair even had a detailed painting of a windmill standing in the middle of a field of tulips.

There were also pairs of wooden shoes that had stiletto-like heels. Mai chuckled as she imagined herself wearing a red pair of the shoes on the street. She would most likely just prefer to walk bare foot on the pavement.

Mai sighed as she looked at the price.

She would be able to afford a pair but what if Naru didn't like them? What if he just sees it as a waste of money? They were already spending too much on their stay in the house at it is. No doubt the electricity bills will be quite a shock for them with how much light their house needed in the evening just so you don't walk around inside it blindly.

Mai placed the wooden shoes back to its rack and decided to walk further on. She had passed several clothing stalls when she noticed a grey newsboy cap on a rack beside a store.

She examined it and realized how darker it's hue was in comparison with Naru's cap. There were also newsboy caps on the rack – each of them in a different colour.

Mai took a brown one and thought Naru would look older if he wore it. The checkered one would make him more preppy…The white one too ostentatious…The red one too…angry…The yellow…NO.

Mai put the yellow newsboy cap down and held the dark grey one in her hands. It felt nice for a hat. She imagined Naru wearing it and couldn't help but blush. Would Naru like it though?

"Hallo," greeted a girl Mai's age.

Mai jolted and shyly smiled at the girl. "H-Hallo," she said, noting the girl's dark long, wavy dark brown hair. "Uh…W-Wie…Wie viel…" she said trying to remember how to ask the price of something in Dutch.

The girl stared at her for a moment with her round blue eyes before she smiled. "That's five euros," she said.

Mai gasped. "Y-You can speak English!"

The girl chuckled. "It is helpful in conversing with English customers," she said. "But…You do not look like you're English," she said taking in Mai's appearance.

Mai chuckled. "No, I'm not English," she said. "I'm Japanese. I just worked in England."

"Ah," the girl said. "Fluent. For you?" she asked nodding her head at the newsboy cap in Mai's hand.

"Oh, n-no," Mai answered shyly. "I-It's for…It's for…"

The girl laughed. "I see no need for you to be shy about your lover," she said.

"L-lover?" Mai asked. "No! No, that's not what I meant!"

The girl chuckled, seeing how red Mai's face was. "You're face tells me otherwise," she said. "So you're here on a tour?''

"Uh…Yes…No," Mai said unsurely. "Well we're not planning on staying here for a long time, just…a couple of weeks."

"Ooh! You're here with someone! Are you planning to buy that for that someone?"

Mai nodded shyly.

The girl chuckled. "We have more here in the stall," she said. "Come inside."

Mai smiled and followed the girl into the stall. And indeed there were more newsboy caps there. There were also various coats, dresses, accessories for men and women on display. A number of people already seemed at the goods.

"I'm Iris by the way," the girl said as she led Mai to the racks devoted to clothing accessories for men. "My family owns the stall. You're my first customer so I'll give you a discount on the newsboy cap."

Mai shyly gasped in surprise. "Oh! Really? Dank u!"

Iris looked at her for a moment before she chuckled. "You heard that one, yes?"

"W-what?"

"You heard someone say that," she said. "You did not learn it from a book."

Mai nodded.

"Your lover's Dutch."

"No, he's English."

Iris chuckled.

Mai realized what she just did. Blood quickly filled her cheeks. "T-That's…He's a…We're-NO!"

* * *

><p>"Where do you think we're going to go first after we reach England?" Madoka asked Lin as she sat beside him on the couch.<p>

They were waiting for Luella and Martin. They were planning to have dinner in the hotel restaurant before they left for the airport.

"I'm planning to ask Baehler about Norringbent or Mortimer properties in Belgium," Lin answered. "I have a feeling that Mr. Mortimer lent them one of his properties. I don't recall the twins acquiring any property of their own outside England so I don't see why Noll would go out to Belgium, as this Takumi said - unless he found a house there where he or he and Taniyama-san can stay. I doubt he would stay in a hotel. He knows how easy it would be for Baehler to track him down that way."

"So his only option is to get an apartment or a house," Madoka said. "It seems like he's planned all of this for quite a long time. How long do you think was he planning on staying away from us?"

"I'm not sure," Lin answered. "But if I base it on the amount on his and Gene's savings account..." Lin sighed. "He could show up with Taniyama and a one-year old child, and still not end up penniless."

Madoka chuckled. "Noll carrying a child," she said sighing. "Can you imagine it?"

Lin smirked. "Can you imagine Noll's child?" he asked, seeing a plump infant with dark locks and blue eyes that stared icily at him. It sent chills up his spine.


	14. Chapter 14

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing Where is home? ^ _v ^

_To hell with my usual upload schedule. Here's this week's chapter. It's quite long. Chapter 13 was supposed to be the longer one since it took me two weeks before I was able to upload it. But I didn't have much time to put in everything that should be there, so I just placed some of the Chapter 13 parts here in Chapter 14. _

_Do tell me what you think about it. _* v *

* * *

><p>Mai walked out of the stall, daintily holding a brown bag containing a deep grey newsboy cap.<p>

After looking at the newsboy caps that Iris showed her, she purchased one that she thought would suite any outfit that Naru would wear – which were, most of the time, in plain dark hues. She was still worried about how Naru would accept her gift. But Iris' coaxing and friendly chatter convinced her there was nothing wrong with buying him something, even though it wasn't his birthday.

They were on a "vacation" after all. It was only right that she buy him something that would remind him of the place, even though that something didn't overtly say "I was in Amsterdam."

"It's been a while since I spoke with someone in English," Iris said with a cheerful smile on her face. "I have to admit I missed it."

Iris turned out to be a student in one of the colleges in London. She was in Amsterdam for a school break. And though she wanted to regularly keep in touch with her English friends, she couldn't do so with all the help their stalls needed.

Mai also learned that Iris' family owned other clothing shops in Amsterdam. The constant exposure to selling garments inspired Iris to become a fashion designer.

"If you're going to stay here for a while, I can tour you around," Iris said.

Mai smiled at her. Iris was the kind of person who loved to be around people and make friends. "Sure," she said.

"Brilliant!" Iris said excitedly. "Here," she said pulling out a card from her pocket and handing it to Mai.

Mai looked at it and noticed that it had her name on it – Iris Kolenberch. It had a list of addresses that were supposed to be where their stores were, each with its own contact number. She noticed that the last store was situated in Lindengracht.

"I visit all those stalls in weekdays," Iris said. "I'm on the first store every Monday and Wednesday, on the second store in Tuesday and Thursday. The third store is here. I stay here every Saturday."

"So your rest days are Sunday and Friday?" Mai asked.

Iris chuckled. "If you can call attending to house chores a rest," Iris said shrugging her shoulders. "So where are you going now?"

Mai was about to tell her about her self-assigned mission of buying toiletries when she heard something disturbing a few steps away from her.

She turned her head in curiosity, hearing someone purr "…I'm a professional" and "you don't have to resist me." She knew it wasn't any of her business, but it disturbed her for some reason.

Perhaps it was the time. It seemed too early for anyone to flirt around that overtly, even for prostitutes. Unless that was the custom in the area...

"Ah," Iris said sighing. "…A harlot this early in the morning?"

Mai raised a brow at Iris, failing to catch who said those disturbing lines.

"The one over there," Iris said pointing to a woman in black leather boots. She was wearing a black trench coat that was elegantly secured to flaunt a seductive silhouette.

Mai turned her head again, spotting the woman who had her hair tied up in a high bun. She had quite a long pair of eyelashes and red lips. She looked more like a model than a prostitute.

"She's beautiful," Mai muttered.

"Yeah," Iris said. "I'm amazed the guy she's flirting with hasn't taken her away to a motel."

Mai nodded and suddenly wondered what kind of guy would actually ignore a woman as beautiful as the alluring one there at that moment.

She noticed that the woman was trailing her dainty fingers on a man's chest, trying to pry open his dark grey coat.

The coat somewhat reminded her of Naru. So that was how popular Naru's coat was, huh? That other people also buy it and wear it.

As several curious bystanders walked away snickering at the scene and cleared Mai's view of the two, she saw the man's face – his blue eyes looking sternly away from the woman, who at that moment seemed to be clutching onto his body for support.

The woman seemed drunk and sleepy, and the man looked oddly similar to-

Mai stiffened and gasped in shock.

"What is it Mai?" Iris asked anxiously at her new friend.

Mai stared frozen at the couple for a moment before her face contorted into an expression of anger. She stomped her way to the two, Iris following her anxiously.

"What are you doing?" Iris asked trying to pull Mai away from confronting the couple.

Mai forced out a smile as she walked closer to the two – her eyes twitching in irritation.

* * *

><p>"You're here," Naru suddenly heard Mai's perky voice in middle of the crowd he was in.<p>

He was walking in the alley, eyes sharply checking every crack and crevice for Mai when a woman blocked his way.

She tried to hit on him and with Naru acting too busy to spare the woman a glance, the woman began to act like she was drunk. Naru knew well that she trying to get his attention by humiliating him in the crowd - a usual stunt pulled by his most ambitious students. He tried to push her away but the woman acted like she was fainting, and the people began staring at him as if he was the one who caused her to be in such a stupor.

The woman spoke in Dutch. Since he ignored her, and perhaps she thought he was a tourist, she tried to talk to him in several languages before she finally spoke in English.

He couldn't keep his eyes from twitching when an old woman who slightly resembled Luella Davis glared daggers at him, at the same time that the woman clutching him tightly said something like "don't push me away, baby."

Of course Luella would rather drag him away in embarrassement than glare at him that way. But the sight still gave him chills.

The woman seemed to pick his slight reaction as a sign that he spoke in English, so she began coaxing him in seductively pronounced English statements that revolved around the idea of Naru getting her into a place where they could know more about each other.

More people seemed to notice the disgusting scene Naru was caught in and Naru figured it could help him find Mai.

Mai was a curious girl. If she wasn't curious, she wouldn't have walked into the scene of the car crash back in Japan and she wouldn't have ended up pulling Naru out of the severed cab.

If Mai was nearby, she would surely notice the forming fuss. And she would go away from the stall or store or restaurant she's in to take a closer look of what was going on.

**If** she was nearby...and by how Naru suddenly heard Mai's voice a few steps away from him, she **was**.

Naru looked at Mai, not letting himself sigh in relief for finally finding her. That was **not** the Oliver Davis way. That was Gene's.

Naru noticed the eerily wide smile on Mai's face and suddenly wondered how she would react to him standing extremely close to another woman - to an undoubtedly attractive woman.

Mai could barely contain the pain that her heart was inflicting against her chest with every enraged beat it made.

She just went out of the house to buy something. She just went out of the house without him because she thought he was busy.

AND SHE FINDS HIM IN THE MARKET WITH ANOTHER WOMAN?

Iris noticed how Mai's hands tightly clutched the end of the paper bag. She examined the handsome young man in front of them, as the intoxicated-looking woman beside him glared at them.

He was quite a beefcake. Iris figured he was Mai's lover - the Englishman who was good in Dutch, and who appreciated wearing newsboy caps.

Mai was one lucky girl.

She noticed how still and calm the man was as the gorgeous woman in black snaked her arms possessively around him.

Iris looked at Mai. Was Mai really lucky?

"Who would you be?" the woman said raising a sharply sculpted brow at Mai. Despite acting drunken and all over the place, her long black hair tied up in a pony tail still lookedneat.

Mai glared at her. She didn't care if the woman looked like a supermodel, or if Naru looked great beside her. HE WAS THERE WITH ANOTHER WOMAN WITHOUT HER KNOWLEDGE.

"**I** am his **wife**." she answered smiling widely at the woman. "Who would **you** be?"

Iris held her lips from gasping. So he wasn't just Mai's lover. HE WAS HER HUSBAND AND HE WAS CHEATING ON HER?

She looked up at the handsome young man and was about to glare at him when she noticed one side of his lips hitch slightly. He was...smirking..?

"Ha!" the woman said smirking. "You expect me to believe you? A handsome man like him would marry someone as plain and childish as you?"

Mai glared daggers at her.

Naru tried hard not to smile. It was glaring in front of a mirror. He was just so proud of himself.

"I was looking for you," Mai heard Naru say calmly.

Mai raised a brow at him as the woman stared confused at him.

"You left without telling me where you were going," he said.

Mai scowled and glared at him. "I left you a note!"

"You didn't **talk** to me," he said. "And the kitchen isn't exactly the first place where I'll go to look for you."

Mai hugged the paper bag, folding her arms over her chest.

"You were busy," she muttered.

"How busy?" Naru asked.

Mai looked away. "Very..?"

Naru turned to look at the woman beside him. "My wife an I have to go back home now," he said. "The policeman over there will assist you in getting you a cab."

Mai, Iris, and the woman stared at Naru.

"Assist her in getting a cab?" Mai asked.

"I was walking when she suddenly fainted in front of me, asking me to help get her a ride to her apartment," Naru said.

Mai felt blood rush to her cheeks. "So...she wasn't your..."

"My what?" Naru asked raising a brow at her.

"Y-You don't...know her?" Mai asked.

"Should I?" Naru asked.

"S-she's clutching you!"

"She's drunk."

Iris and Mai just gaped at Naru. Yes, the woman seemed drunk. But surely he felt how she was hitting on him!

The woman on the other hand just looked away - red staining her perfectly white cheeks.

Naru turned to the girl standing next to Mai. Knowing his wife, she was her new found friend in Amsterdam. "Will you call that policeman over there?" he asked.

Iris found herself nodding several times at Naru before she ran to the policeman standing on the next block eating a sandwich.

She ushered the policeman to the scene and Naru explained everything to the policeman. Iris could see the slight smirk on the policeman's face. If Naru didn't look so calm and composed, she herself wouldn't believe that he wasn't doing anything serious with the woman. They looked so beautiful together.

...Not that Mai didn't look good with her husband. They were both young. He just looked so...He looked just as much as a supermodel, as the woman gripping him did.

Mai could only look down at the ground as the policeman lead the silenced woman away. Iris also felt it was too awkward to say anything after what happened.

"Were you able to buy your toiletries?" Naru asked.

Mai gasped. "I haven't," she whispered.

"What's that?" she heard him ask as she noticed his finger touching the brown bag she held in her arms.

"She bought it for you," Iris blurted out.

Naru looked at her.

"I'm Iris by the way," she said offering a hand at Naru. Naru shook it. "Iris Kolenberch. She bought you a gift from our shop over there," she said pointing to their clothing stall.

Mai bit her lip. She bought Naru a hat instead of buying what she told him he would do. She was really stupid.

"Narumi Kazuya," Naru said.

Mai looked surprised up at Naru. She didn't think he would use the name on his passport. Well it would be stupid of him if he used "Oliver Davis." People would surely recognize him and he wouldn't have enough privacy left for a vacation.

Wait! Did that mean she should also start using the name "Maia Kazuya?"

"Ah! You're Japanese too," Iris said. "I thought you were English."

"I am by citizenship," he said. "I grew up in England."

"Oh," Iris said nodding. "And you know Dutch too? Mai told me."

"A little, yes."

Iris chuckled and realized how silent Mai was. She patted Mai and smiled at her. "I need to go back to the shop," she said. "My folks are probably looking for me."

Mai nodded shyly and smiled at her.

Iris then looked up at Naru. "It's been a great pleasure meeting you."

"Same here," Naru said. "Thank you for accompanying my wife."

Iris chuckled. "She's great company!" she said before bidding them goodbye and trotting back to their store.

Mai sighed as Iris disappered from her view. She suddenly felt something touch her arm. She stared at the paper bag that Naru was suddenly handing her.

She didn't even realize he was holding a bag of his own.

Mai loosened her hold on her paper bag and took Naru's bag in one hand, without noticing how Naru already snatched her paper bag from her.

Mai examined the contents of the bag and gasped in awe. Shampoos, soaps, tissue paper, tooth brush, toothpaste, floss, deodorant, viscose towel...toiletries!

"You bought these?" Mai asked looking up at Naru.

She froze seeing Naru fixing the grey newsboy cap atop his head as he faced a mirror hanging on one of the accessories stall nearby.

"I stole them," Naru said, focused on aligning the cap. "You want to see the receipt?"

Mai looked shyly down on the bag again. "Y-yeah," she said. "I'll pay you for the expenses."

Naru snorted. "I work for you now?"

Mai frowned. "That's not what I meant," she said as she moved some of the items in the bag to see what else were there. She stiffened at the sight of sanitary napkins and tampons.

Naru looked at Mai and noticed how red her cheeks were as she stared at the contents of the bag. He was about to ask what was wrong when he realized what things in the bag would possibly make her blush.

"I wasn't sure which of those you use," Naru said.

Mai looked aghast at Naru. "How did you buy **these**?"

"I took them from the shelf and paid for them over the counter," Naru answered.

"You're a guy!"

"I know."

Mai just stared at him. "How do you know about these?"

"Aside from sex education?" Naru asked. "I grew up with a mother."

Mai shook her head. She still couldn't imagine how Naru bought those things without feeling humiliated. It's like making him buy a pair of ladies underwear.

"Is that everything?" she heard him ask.

She raised her brows at him for a moment before she nodded her head, picking up what Naru meant.

Naru reached out his hand.

Mai sighed and took it.

Naru tightly gripped her hand and pulled her to his side. "Don't do that again," he whispered close enough for Mai feel his breath against her ear.

Mai felt her heart skip and nodded. "Sorry," she said. "Can I walk around with Iris though?"

"Just tell me where **exactly** you two will be going so I know where to fetch you if something else happens," Naru said releasing her hand and wrapping his arm around Mai's waist as they walked through the crowd.

Mai smiled and nodded.

"Where do you want to eat, Mrs. Kazuya?" Naru asked eyeing the restaurants nearby.

Mai froze - her cheeks terribly flushed.

Right! She actually claimed that she was Naru's wife! BLOODY HELL!


	15. Chapter 15

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing "Where is home?" _^ v ^ _Here's this week's chapter. Do tell me what you think about it!_

* * *

><p>Oliver stood silent as he gazed at the seascape before him. The flaps of his unbuttoned dark blue shirt, covering his white shirt, danced with the breeze. His black slacks told Masako that he was there with her in the beach on business.<p>

Masako watched him sadly, her special attire – a pink striped tank top paired with white shorts that exposed her thighs – ignored by Oliver's observant eyes.

"Oliver..?" she asked wondering what in the bright blue sky and the clear emerald waves touching their bare feet on the white-pebbled sands, was wrong. Weren't they there on vacation?

Oliver's blue eyes gazed calmly at the sea.

Masako sighed and looked down at her feet in thought. She should start a conversation – be friends with him. They should get to know each other more so he could realize how great a person she is for him.

"Let it go," she suddenly heard Oliver say.

She looked up confused at him. "What do you mean..?"

Oliver smiled at the horizon. "I'm going home," he said.

Masako stared baffled at him. "Home..? You mean you're going back to England?"

Then a familiar tune echoed in the seashore…Masako's favourite song…

Masako opened her eyes and found herself slumped on her pillows with her mobile phone ringtone echoing all over her bedroom.

She sighed and tapped her hand on the side table where she usually left her mobile phone on. And sure enough, she found it all lit up and vibrating to the tune of her favourite song - her ringtone.

Masako flipped her phone open and held it against her ear. "Moshi-mo-"

"This is Charlotte," she heard an apprehensive voice from the other line.

Masako squinted and sat up. "Charlotte," she said. "How did you-"

"I've employed detectives to find Oliver," Charlotte said. "Have you found anything there in Japan?"

Masako scratched her head. She didn't exactly tell Charlotte she would help her find Oliver. In fact, she was hoping to find Oliver on her own. "No," she said. "He didn't seem to tell his friends here where he went. He just said he would be working in Zurich."

"I see," Charlotte said. "The detectives have checked Zurich. It's clear. I hear Prof. Davis learned that he went to Belgium. I've ordered the detectives to search for him there."

Masako stared at the sakura flower print on her blanket.

So Oliver was still in Europe. He didn't go to Japan, contrary to what they expected since he was supposed to be with the Japanese woman.

Why didn't they go back to Japan?

"Is she with him?" Masako asked, knowing Charlotte would understand what she meant.

"Yes," Charlotte said bitterly. "Someone bought tickets and prepared false documents for them."

Masako sighed and rubbed her eyes.

Oliver must have known that people would look for them in Japan. That's why they hid in Belgium. And that was how smart Oliver was.

"What are you planning to do now?" Masako asked.

"I'm planning to go to Belgium and help out in the search," she said. "I'm not fond of you but if you want to come here and help out, it's fine."

Masako smirked. She still had time. She had three weeks to spare before she and her crew start filming the next season of her show.

"Let it go," she suddenly remembered Oliver say in her dream.

What did it mean, exactly? Dreams were supposed to be images conjured by the subconscious while the brain continued its processes. And it wasn't like she had the gift of foresight. She could channel precognition visions, but not have dreams about the future.

And of the Davis twins, Eugene was the one who was believed to have telepathy.

Eugene is dead.

Masako didn't know him when he was alive. There was no reason for him to haunt her in her dream.

"Thank you," Masako said. "I'll get in touch with you."

"Alright," Charlotte said before Masako heard a click ending the call from the other line.

Masako sighed and placed the phone back on her side table.

She played with the idea of dreams as things conjured by her subconscious mind.

"I'm going home," she remembered Oliver say in her dream. It didn't make any sense.

Masako sighed and closed her eyes, burying herself in her pillows. Maybe it wasn't supposed to make any sense. It was just a silly dream anyway – she and Naru on the beach.

She pulled up the blanket over her blushing face and forced herself to go back to sleep.

* * *

><p>"Eh?" Mai said scowling at the TV as she flipped the channels using the remote control. Nothing from the channels made sense to her, not even the commercials.<p>

She saw one program that used English in a program. It turned out to be an advertisement for a juice drink. After the commercial, the channel aired a Dutch drama series.

Mai threw herself on the sofa – her body occupying all the seating space. She was bored and she was starting to get annoyed at how everything on the television sounded foreign and alien to her.

Just like what she was having with Naru – their departure from England, their falsified passports, their living arrangement, their 'husband and wife' image, his closeness-

Mai frowned and stopped playing with the remote control buttons. She settled the remote control on the cushion of the sofa, just in front of her chest.

She fixed her eyes on the swirly patterns of the carpet below the center table and listened to the sounds from whatever station the TV was tuned in to.

Naru was busy upstairs again – working, most probably. The first thing Naru did when they got home from having dinner in Jordaan District was run upstairs to check his email.

Mai patted her tummy with her free hand.

She was full. They spent the rest of the day touring Lindenmarkt like ordinary tourists, eating lunch in a food stall on the street, and dining in a cozy Italian restaurant before they went home that evening.

It was like a date. Only…it wasn't since…they weren't dating.

"Scoot over," she suddenly heard Naru say.

Mai jolted to sit up, seeing Naru standing at the end of the sofa waiting for her to give him a space to sit on. She folded her legs up and placed her feet on the carpet.

Naru took a seat beside her and casually pulled Mai's bare legs up to his lap.

Mai couldn't help but feel ashamed that she wore a pair of shorts instead of a pair of pajama pants.

Naru didn't seem to notice how Mai's cheeks were in shades of red. His eyes just stared at the television set, his mind tuning into the program being aired.

Mai tried to feel comfortable with their position – her legs on his lap, his hands over her legs, and her back against the arm rest of the sofa. She tried to look away from his face but his calm and eye-catching profile just kept her eyes from straying away from it.

He was wearing a pair of light blue pajamas. It complimented his blue eyes.

Mai suddenly noticed a crease forming between his brows.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"There's going to be a power outage soon," Naru said and as if on cue, the whole house went dark – the lights and the television set turned off on its own.

Mai and Naru looked up at the dead light bulbs of the chandelier above them.

It was in the silence of the living room that Mai noticed the howling wind outside the house.

"Huh?" Mai said turning to look at the windows. Strong gusts of wind were thrashing the glass with heaves of dusts.

No. It wasn't dust. It was white…snow?

"But it was just raining yesterday," Mai said.

"It doesn't snow much here in Amsterdam," Naru said gently pushing Mai's legs away from his lap and standing up.

Mai pulled her legs away from him and watched him survey the room.

"Then why is it snowing now?" Mai asked.

"I thought you were watching the news," he said as he walked to the television and made sure it was unplugged from the oulet on the wall.

Mai scowled. "I don't speak Dutch," she said. "I didn't even know I was tuned in to a news program."

Naru checked the drawers for any source of light they could use so they didn't end up bumping into the furniture while trying to move around the house.

Mai sighed and stood up, about to help Naru when he fished out a flashlight and some batteries from one of the drawers.

"Stay there," Naru told her before she could walk further away from the sofa.

Mai sat down on the sofa and watched him vanish into the kitchen with the flashlight on and lighting his path. He came back with a box of matches, a rope of chopped logs, and a sack of wood chips. He knelt down in front of the fireplace and placed his tools beside him.

Mai stretched her neck to watch him. She wrapped her arms around her chest, feeling the chill of the weather outside slowly seep into the house.

Naru placed his hand inside the fireplace, touching its walls as if checking its temperature. He then untied the rope that held the chopped logs together and carefully placed each log on the hearth.

Mai curiously watched Naru open the sack of wood chips. Mai and the servants never used the fireplace in Mr. Norringbent's house. There was always an electric heater to warm the house up. And on occassions when the power went out, one of the men servants turned the power generator on to supply enough power for the heater.

Naru placed his hand inside the sack and pulled out a handful of wood chips. He placed them on the hearth.

"You have a newspaper there?" Naru asked, handing her the flashlight.

"Y-yeah," she replied taking the flashlight and getting a few of the newspapers she placed on a side table. She handed Naru the newspapers and stood beside him with the flashlight. She made sure he had enough light to see what he was doing.

Naru pulled out some of the pages on the newspaper. He crumpled and folded them into long strips.

"Hold this," Naru said, handing her the crumpled page of the newspaper.

Mai did as she was told and watched Naru light the paper up with a match. Once its tip caught fire, Naru took the paper from Mai's hand and placed it on the hearth – setting the woodchips a blaze.

Mai smiled as Naru did several other things to the fireplace, making the flame big enough to give them light and warmth.

"You're really good at this," she said, happily placing her cold hands near the fire.

"I didn't know what I just did," Naru muttered as he took the sack of woodchips and the matches away from the fireplace and walked back into the kitchen.

Mai stiffened. "This was your first time to light a fireplace?"

"I always had Gene to light one for me," she heard Naru's voice echo from the kitchen.

Mai sighed. "So you're not just a jerk," she said. "You're lazy too," she said turning to look at the fire.

"And you're an idiot," Naru said as he stepped into the room with a battery-powered emergency lamp. "Go wear something that covers your legs."

Mai scowled at Naru and stood up. "I didn't know it was going to be this cold," she said taking the lamp from Naru.

Naru raised a brow at her. "That's what you wore when you were in England?" he asked.

"We had heaters," Mai said, ignoring the fact that they didn't have any in their bedrooms since they were just servants there.

"Men servants saw you wearing those?" Naru asked – eyes narrowed at Mai.

Mai stiffened. "I wore robes when I walk around the house."

Naru snorted and sat down on the carpet in front of the fireplace to warm himself.

Mai frowned at Naru. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Naru looked up at her with apathetic eyes. "Go change," he said. "And get the blanket and pillows."

Mai raised a brow at Naru. "Why should I get those?"

Naru just turned his head to the fire, ignoring Mai's question.

Mai huffed and marched up the stairs with the lamp in her hand. She raised the lamp to the level of her head – her eyes looking around at the dark steps.

She noticed that the more she reached the second floor, the more the air felt colder.

Mai shivered as she walked down the hallway. Wearing the pair of shorts sure was stupid.

She walked to the door of their bedroom and opened it. She placed the lamp on the side table as she shakily rushed to the wardrobe to get a pair of pajamas.

While changing, she realized how cold it was in the room. She recalled a heater of sorts somewhere in the room but with the electricity down, it was of no use.

Mai sighed. This must be the reason why Naru told her to get their pillows and blanket downstairs – they would need a fireplace to keep them warm in their sleep.

Naru looked up at the stairs, hearing someone walking down the steps – Mai carrying the pillows over the folded quilts in her arms with the lamp hanging from one of her hands.

He stood up and took the pillows and quilts, eyeing the pair of pajamas that Mai changed into.

Mai watched his eyes gaze down at ther pair of peach pajamas. It was a pair that Florence gave her back in England.

After a moment of silently scrutinizing her clothes, Naru turned away and fixed the quilts on the carpeted floor of the livingroom.

Mai sighed and hugged herself, putting the lamp down on the floor beside her. She felt the chilly air touch her skin despite the protection of her pajamas.

"I'm making tea," she said as she picked the lamp up and walked to the kitchen.

Naru went on to place the pillows on the quilt.


	16. Chapter 16

_Thank you all so much again for reading and reviewing 'Where is home?' _^ v ^

_Here's this week's chapter (RIGHT ON TIME! _ v )._ Do tell me what you all think about it. _^ v *

* * *

><p>Lin sighed as Madoka leaned her head over his shoulder.<p>

They were on their flight back to London. Prof. Davis and his wife sat in front of them, sleeping like the other passengers around them did. The lights were dimmed and Lin could see the stars on the dark sky outside.

He recalled his conversation with Baehler before he boarded the plane.

"You're not going to focus on Belgium?" the detective asked him from the other end of his mobile phone. "But I thought his accomplice said they went to Belgium."

"Don't humor me, Baehler," Lin said taking glances at Madoka and Luella who were sitting in the lobby waiting for their flight. Prof. Davis went to the loo. "You're a detective. I know you know there's still a possibility that Noll just used it as a stop over."

Baehler chuckled. "I'm telling you, Lin," he said. "You can work with me when you retire from your psychic investigation job."

Lin smirked. Looking for spirits were one thing – looking for live people who most likely turn up dead was another. "I'll think about it," he said. "Right now, can you check what train routes from London to other parts of Europe use Belgium as a stopover? I don't recall you telling me that Mr. Mortimer had properties there."

"He doesn't," Baehler replied. "One route that uses Belgium as a stopover is the route to Germany. I'm still ransacking my brain for more. Oh! It's also a stopover for the route to Netherlands."

Lin stiffened. Noll knew how to speak German and Dutch. He also knew how to speak French but he particularly headed for Belgium.

"Can you check if Mr. Mortimer had properties in both countries?' Lin said.

"I do remember Mr. Mortimer had properties in both countries," Baehler said. "I'll check where they are exactly. Does this mean we're leaving Belgium?"

"No," Lin said. "We're still not sure about this lead. But right now, let's put Germany and Netherlands up on our list of possible places where Noll could be hiding in."

"No problem," Baehler said. "I'll get out of Cognac then. I'll meet you back in England?"

"Yes," Lin said.

Lin felt Madoka wrap her arms around his own. He smiled as he gazed at her face. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

Lin had a feeling that they were going to see Noll soon, and perhaps even Taniyama Mai. He looked out at the window – the stars gazing back at him.

Noll knew he would find him eventually. Lin only hoped that by the time he does, Noll had done what he had to do.

* * *

><p>Mai placed the tray carrying two cups and a steaming tea pot in front of Naru, who was sitting on the carpet floor facing the fireplace. He had the blanket wrapped over his shoulders.<p>

She sat down beside him and poured tea on the cups. She offered one cup to Naru, which he received without a word.

Mai sighed and rolled her eyes as she sipped her tea. He didn't even nod in thanks. She put her tea down and hugged her legs, feeling the chill in the room.

"Move," Naru said patting the space close to him on the carpet – his eyes still fixed on the fire.

Mai moved to sit close to him, her arm rubbing against his own. She bowed her head in an attempt to hide the red tint filling her cheeks. She then felt a blanket drape itself over her shoulders.

She looked up and realized that she was sharing the blanket with Naru, who was still busy staring at the fire while sipping his tea.

Mai smiled and pulled the blanket closer to enfold her. "Did you hear when the power's coming back?" she asked.

"Tomorrow," Naru answered, eyes still fixed on the vibrant flames.

Mai sighed. "This is quite a long blackout then," she said.

"They were planning to turn the power off later tonight for a repair job," Naru said. "A power line nearby must have been damaged by this storm just now. The weather news said the storm should be done by the tomorrow. We can assume that the power will be back tomorrow."

Mai nodded. "You said it barely storms here in Amsterdam," she said.

"This part of Amsterdam rarely get snow storms," Naru corrected.

"Oh," Mai said. "Must be all those globar warming stuff then huh?" she asked looking up at Naru.

Naru didn't reply, feeling too lazy to even comment on how Mai seemed aware of global warming.

Mai looked down at her tea. "So…What are we going to do now?" she asked.

Naru didn't answer. He just sipped his tea.

Mai shyly sipped her tea as well.

They listened to melody of the crackling sounds on the fireplace and the howling hum of the wind against the closed windows.

"You dreamt of Gene," Naru said.

Mai nodded, knowing what he meant. They hadn't spoken about Gene that way. Perhaps it was time they talked about everything that happened back in Japan.

"When did it start?" he asked.

"In the hospital," Mai said. "You and Ayako said I was asleep for a long time."

Naru frowned. Gene must have been trying to reach him. Mai happened to have the makings of a medium. So when Naru lived with Mai and Gene's efforts to reach Naru were blocked in some way, his attempts must have bounced and were somehow absorbed by Mai – giving her dreams of Gene.

"I thought he was you," Mai said smiling at the memory. "…The sweet and kind version of you - the part of you that you don't show outright to people."

Naru sipped his tea. Everyone thought that way about Gene - kind, sweet, gentle, fun to be with. And they thought Naru was the snobbish and arrogant version of Gene. They were the complete opposite of each other - the angel and the devil - twins.

"That night you had a nightmare," Naru said. "You saw how he died."

Mai nodded slowly, trying hard not to remember the memory – the details of the dream. "I…didn't know how to tell you," she said. "I didn't know where the place was until-"

"Until that day I found you locked up in the house," Naru ended. "…When you didn't go to work in the bar and in the tea shop…When you didn't answer my calls…When you invited me to go to your graduation and offered to go out of town."

"I'm sorry," Mai said, wiping the moisture from her eyes. "I should've told you sooner."

"You told me," he said. "That's what matters."

Mai nodded. "So he went to Japan to do a research," she said.

"He was interested in the eastern forms of exorcism," Naru said. "He decided to compare it with the western ones – prove that both were effective forms. And he thought Japan would be a good place to do the research on since its culture greatly appreciated paranormal entities. And it was one of the places we considered to have a branch of our organization in."

"SPR," Mai said recalling what Florence told her about Oliver Davis.

"Yes," Naru said before he sipped his tea.

Mai looked down. "Is that why…why he…"

"No," Naru said, knowing what she wanted to ask. "He stupidly crossed the street. It was an accident."

"But someone threw him in the water!" Mai said, her hands shaking at the memory of drowning in the water. "He was alive! He drowned!"

Naru kept his eyes on the fire. "The driver of the car panicked," he said. "…Thought he was dead."

Mai wiped her tears. "But he wasn't," she insisted, her voice breaking at the last word.

"Did Gene tell you he wanted justice?" Naru asked.

Mai stared confused at Naru. "N-no," she said.

Naru nodded.

Mai sighed. Gene understood what happened to him. But it was so unjust! He was murdered!

"Do you think whoever did it walked away from that road in peace?" Naru asked.

Mai stiffened. Naru was right. Perhaps Gene found out, while wondering around as a spirit, that his killer suffered terribly with what happened. The driver's conscience must have caused him enough pain to give Gene justice.

Naru watched Mai shake her head before he turned to look at the flames.

"You saw it too," Mai said. "…His death. Gene said you did."

"I was borrowing a shirt from his room," Naru said knowing that Gene or Florence had already told her about what he could do. She panicked when he locked the door of the loo in their bedroom the other day without touching the knob after all. Mai knew about his PK, and her anxiety on the feat meant she also knew the consequence of using it.

Mai looked down at her tea. If it was horrible for her, it must have been terrible for Naru with Gene being his brother and all. That must have been the reason why he wore those black clothes.

"You didn't want to go to a hotel," Mai said suddenly realizing something. "You seemed to have had enough money to get a room in any hotel in Japan back then."

Naru stared at Mai. "So you **did** look at my wallet," he said.

Mai frowned. "I didn't look inside it," she said. "I just noticed how thick it was. And I didn't get anything from your wallet!"

"I didn't say you did," Naru said.

Mai rolled her eyes. "So why didn't you go stay in a hotel?" she asked.

"…Aside from the fact that I already had free food and lodging?" Naru asked.

Mai stared surprised at Naru. Weren't her food and lodging terrible? Naru didn't act like he enjoyed sleeping on the floor, cramped in a room that transformed into a bedroom and a living room.

"I ran away," Naru said turning to look at the flames. "They would track me down easily if I stayed in a hotel."

"WHAT?" Mai exclaimed, drowning the growl of thunder from outside.

"They didn't want me to look for Gene," Naru said. "They wanted someone else to do it."

Mai frowned. "Your parents must have been worried about what would happen to you," she said. "They already lost Gene in Japan after all. I'm sure they were afraid of losing you there too. That's why they didn't want you to go."

Naru smirked. His parents would have loved Mai's position on the matter. If only his father didn't think lowly of Mai from the start. Though his parents ordered a search for Taniyama when he came back from Japan the second time, it was more to thank her for keeping Naru safe.

Sure, they assumed there was more to their relationship and his mother, though she tried to hide it, felt excited at the idea of him actually being interested with someone from the opposite sex. But his father had shown signs, even then, that he preferred a well off, academic achiever for his son. Which was why he had to get out of the country with Mai - show Prof. Davis that his adopted son Oliver was serious about Taniyama Mai.

"I know," Naru said. "I'm here though, aren't I?"

Mai stiffened. True. Nothing bad happened to Naru in Japan. He was still alive. "You were lucky I found you in that wreckage," she said looking away to hide how embarrassed she was at losing the argument.

Naru glanced at her and smiled. "Yes, I was lucky," he said.

Mai looked at him and saw the smile she always saw in her dreams – in Gene. She shly looked down at her tea, smirking.

Naru raised a brow at her. "What's that for?"

Mai shrugged her shoulders. "I…I…"

"You..?"

"I like you," she mumbled.

Naru stared at her for a moment. If he didn't hear about the fact that Mai thought Gene was him in her dreams, he would have felt overjoyed.

Gene had always been the mate-material. He was the one girls swooned over, who they wanted to date and be with for the rest of their lives. Those who approached him either mistaken him as Gene, or mustered up the courage to ask him for help in wooing his twin.

If there was someone Mai must have liked...

Mai looked up at him, uneasy with Naru's silence. Did he hate her for saying such thing to him? Did he feel offended? Did he regret having her there?

Naru smiled – that cheerful smile that reminded Mai of Gene, and those dreams she shared with him.

Mai's eyes widened. It was as if she was in her dreams again, sitting beside Gene. Only, she was sure it wasn't Gene who was sitting there beside her – who fascinated her so much ever since she saw him in Japan. It was-

"Me or Gene..?" Naru asked suddenly, still smiling innocently at Mai.

Mai froze – eyes wide and cheeks flushed at the cheerful-looking Naru...Eugene Davis smiling warmly in front of her.


	17. Chapter 17

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing "Where is home?" _^ v ^

_I see a lot of you were disappointed with what Naru did. It was actually something similar to what he did in the last volume of the Ghost Hunt manga (spoiler! sorry...)_

_Anyway, here's this week's chapter. _

_Oh and I need comments on an ebook I made for . The title is "Shards" - it's a book with three drabbles (the traditional 100-word story ones). I made it out of an insane decision to join a drabble contest, try my hand on writing a drabble (yes, it was my first time to do so) and test the waters. Anyway, if you have time, do check it out and tell me what you think about it. Just in case you want to try publishing books there (I am so not getting paid for this, huhu), setting up an account there is free. Hmm, come to think of it, you also might need to set up an account to leave a comment. Oh well, it's free anyway, and you can disable the account anytime, haha!_

_So there. I'm not forcing you to check it out, okay? But reading your comments, just like your reviews here, would be really helpful. _* v *

_So again, here's the next chapter for "Where is home?" Please read and review!_ ^ v ^

* * *

><p>"Gene looks a lot like me when he frowns," Naru said, his smile vanishing from his face as Mai's eyes watched him.<p>

That was it, wasn't it? That was the end.

After all those times Naru thought Mai actually shared the same infatuation, if not affection, this was it – the truth, that he stupidly discounted from the whole relationship equation.

Well, he never was good when it came to these things - love, affection, commitment, man-woman relationship. Whenever he liked someone, he tried his best to ignore her believing that she would want Gene and not him...which was always true.

He remembered Gene's disappointed gaze at one girl who Naru liked so much when they were younger. She confessed her love for Gene one day when Gene was planning to set her up on a date with Naru.

But no one could blame Naru now for not thinking about the possibility of Mai actually liking Gene, right? He didn't know she knew him! He didn't know she shared some kind of bond with him.

...That she actually had someone to compare Naru with.

Naru wanted to smirk, shrug the sudden pain in his chest off. But his facial muscles seemed too numb to follow his orders.

He loved Gene. He loved Mai. They were so alike in many ways. They would have been a great couple. And despite having his heart broken again in his first ever attempt to act on his feelings, he will and can never in a million years, hate them.

It wasn't their fault. It was his. His heart was only supposed to love himself. And yet he allowed it to feel attached to and fond of someone else.

No, he won't hate them. And for Gene, he will take care of Mai. He just...He would have to rearrange things.

He suddenly wondered where he put the keys to the other bedrooms.

After a moment of staring shocked at Naru, Mai...chuckled.

Naru raised a brow at her – unsure of what was happening to her.

Did she crack? Did she go insane upon realizing how identical he was with Gene, who she really liked? Did she suddenly blame herself for sounding stupid?

Mai sipped her tea to calm her down. "Oh dear," she said smiling and wiping the slight moisture in her eyes. "If you did that to me 2 years ago, I would have sobbed in front of you in confusion."

Naru stared baffled at her.

Mai chuckled again. "Two years of not seeing you did great things to me, you know," she said. "It really made me realize that it wasn't your smile that made me like you, because in the first place, you rarely smiled at me."

Naru stared confused at Mai. What was she saying? Gene's smile was enough to make girls forget about the other Davis twin. And didn't girls love guys who smile at them?

Mai sighed, a smile on her lips. "It was the sweet and caring personality you hid behind your jerk and rotten behaviour toward me that actually made me like you," she said.

Naru stared shocked at Mai. He had a sweet and caring personality..?

Mai chuckled again, knowing by Naru's expression that she finally found one thing that Naru's brilliant brain could not process.

"No one's told you that before, huh?" Mai asked smiling at Naru.

Naru blinked and looked away. "You're insane."

Mai chuckled. "You're blind," she said. "Or you're too involved into thinking that you are your brother's bad side, to realize you have your good side too."

Naru sighed.

"I mean, even if it was just pity that made you care for me, since I'm an orphan like you," Mai said, looking down at her tea. "You still cared for me."

Naru turned his head back to Mai, watching her trace the rim of the teacup with her index finger.

"You still took all my part-time jobs to keep me from losing them when I was hospitalized," she continued. "You still walked with me and made sure I was safe on the street. You still protected me from those men who wanted to do horrible things to me in the bar. You worked there with me and protected me. You volunteered to be there for me in my graduation. Despite what I did to you, you came back to Japan to be in my graduation. You bought me this beautiful necklace," she said as her other hand touched the gold key dangling from her necklace.

"You saved my life when you saw me in the market," Naru heard Mai say as her eyes glistened in warm light of the fireplace. "You gave me free tours of England. You cared for me in the hospital. You took me here with you..."

Mai looked up at him. "And though I'm greatly honoured and happy to be here with you," she said wiping the tears in eyes. "I have to ask. Why? Why have you been so kind to me? Why did you take me here with you? What did you mean by you didn't want to look for me anymore?"

Naru kept his blue eyes on her watery brown ones. She was confused and he couldn't blame her.

Mai watched Naru for any reaction to the things she said. But he just watched her calmly – his eyes blue despite the yellow glimmer of the flames. His expression didn't change. He didn't smile. He didn't frown. He didn't look confused. But he didn't look like he had something in mind either.

He just seemed…nearer?

Then her lips were locked against Naru's – his eyes closed. The warmth in her lips made everything inside her jolt…made her head spin…made her eyelids too heavy to resist a much needed rest.

She felt his lips gently move against her own...the pressure tickling her senses. It was as if she was dreaming again. But this time, she was sure it was Naru who she was with. Gene didn't seem like the type who would just stare and kiss someone.

It was Naru – the only jerk she knew who had the confidence to kiss someone all of a sudden, knowing he would not meet any resistance from his victim.

By the time Mai was out of breath, her head had hit the carpet. She gasped as Naru leaned away, blue eyes observing her for any harsh reaction to what just happened.

Mai just stared at him – breathless as her heart pounded excitedly against her chest. Naru kissed her.

NARU KISSED HER!

Naru's face softened. He lifted her hand and placed it over the back of his neck. He leaned his head closer to Mai, making sure his breath tickled her lips. "Do you know the reason now?" he whispered tenderly – his voice making Mai's nerves go haywire.

"Ah-I...th-think s-so," Mai answered shyly, gasping for air while trying hard not to blush further at the minty scent of his breath.

"Good," Naru said smirking at her before he covered Mai's lips with his own once more– its movements more forceful...morepassionate...more eager than before. He nibbled on her lower lip.

Mai gasped, surprised at the odd sensation she suddenly felt, and Naru used that moment to deepen the kiss.

Mai couldn't help but shut her eyes and wrap her other arm over Naru's neck, holding him close to her so he didn't let her go. Jolts of electricity coursed through her veins...and from her throat echoed sounds she didn't even know she could make in front of him.

Mai felt his hands slide down to touch her sides, setting the skin protected by the cotton cloth of her sleeping wear a blaze. One of his hands stopped at the back of her neck, keeping her head in place. Her body jerked closer to his on its own and soon she felt his other hand slide up her back, pulling her...locking her there...pressing her tightly against his chest.

The fireplace crackled. The wind howled. The snow trickled down the ground.

* * *

><p>Takumi walked down the concrete pathway to the Bureau of Citizens of Cultural Affairs.<p>

It was the second time that he would visit the office in behalf of Yasuhara, who was busy attending his college classes.

He sighed. He was still used to going into some hidden rat hole to get documents. Doing so legally required so many papers and trips to other offices. It also cost money, not that he lost money from doing the task.

He was well funded after all.

Takumi walked into the building. There were other people there as well – renewing documents, applying for new ones, inquiring about the applications, discussing citizenships...

He proceeded to the part of the building where Yasuhara's friend was assigned in.

Friend - the euphemism used to refer to a person who works for Yasuhara. Takumi smirked at the thought. The employee seemed more like one of Yasuhara's many tentacles, scattered, he believed, all over Japan.

He couldn't help but wonder how Yasuhara got them. Osamu was quite a talker. And he was very persuasive. Takumi wondered what made this particular friend of his lend them a hand in their mission.

"Ohayo," Takumi greeted as he approached the window where Takumi's friend was stationed.

"Ah! Kaiba-san," the wavy-haired man greeted as he looked up from the computer in front of him. He bowed down to him in greeting and Takumi bowed down to him in reply. "You're just in time," he said. "Let me get them. Please give me a moment," he continued as he stood up from his seat.

Takumi nodded, smiling gratefully at the man. He watched the man walk to a filing cabinet nearby, pull a drawer and browse the papers inside it for the documents that Takumi was there to pick up.

What should he do next after receiving the documents?

Takumi watched the man as he checked an envelope from the drawer – his mind thinking of where he should go after he was done with his errand.

Ah! He muttered, remembering what he planned to do that morning.

"Here you go," the man said handing Takumi a thick brown envelope.

"Thank you," Takumi said bowing to the man. The man bowed in reply.

Takumi knew what his next destination was. Naru must have known that things would go wrong. Otherwise, he wouldn't employ him.

That was why he planned to go to his next destination – because there again was a chance for his plans to come true.

After a small chit chat with the man, Takumi set out of the building determined to use his savings for his next trip.

He had already found a good apartment that was spacious enough for two people. His job under Yasuhara paid well. And in case he would have to look for another job to get away from Naru, he had found other legal jobs he could apply in. With his record and resume clean, he was sure he would be able to get a job that would help him provide for two people.

Takumi smiled. Surely Naru would understand.


	18. Chapter 18

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing 'Where is home?'_

_I'm glad a lot of you liked the previous chapter. _^ v ^_ And I saw quite a lot of theories as to what else happened that night between Naru and Mai. And there were a few hate mails on Takumi again, hehe! It brings back memories of 'Key'._

_Speaking of 'Key,' I uploaded a cover for it since the Image Manager feature had been rolled out (HURRAY! _ v ). _The cover for 'Key' was made by one of the Filipina readers of this GH fanfiction series - Patricia. (THREE CHEERS FOR PATRICIA!)_

_And because I had a lot to thank for, here's this week's (slightly long) chapter. Hope you all like it! _

_Do tell me what you think _^ v *

* * *

><p>"So what are you planning to do?" Ayako asked Yasuhara as she propped her elbows on the counter.<p>

She had her frapoccino on the table as Yasuhara wiped the beer mugs from the rack with a white clean rag. The other bar employees were busy tidying up the place for their evening customers. Takigawa himself was busy testing the sound system on the stage.

"Naru's got a plan," Yasuhara answered placing the cleaned mug down on the rack.

He discussed what had transpired so far in Naru and Mai's escapade with Ayako, which basically involved the Davis family getting information about the couple's possible location.

"Already..?" Ayako asked. "He didn't even panic?"

Yasuhara chuckled as he took another mug to clean. "You could actually imagine him panicking, Matsuzaki-san?" he asked.

Ayako frowned. "Well no," she said. "Bummer…I told Bou-san he'd go beserk once he found out his plan was ruined.

"…Which means I won the bet!" Takigawa cheerfully yelled as he approached the counter.

Ayako scoffed and folded her arms. "Whatever," she muttered.

Takigawa laughed and sat himself beside her – a sly smirk on his face.

Yasuhara chuckled. "What's it going to be now?" he asked. "A kiss?"

Takigawa and Ayako stared appalled at Yasuhara. "Why the hell would I ask for a kiss from this hag?" Takigawa exclaimed.

"Yeah," Ayako said before she realized Takigawa used the word 'hag' to refer to her again. Once she did, however, he had Takigawa wincing in pain with her purse slamming several times at the top of his head.

Yasuhara sighed. "Fine," he said. "Deny it. I have proof you two are dating anyway."

Ayako and Takigawa scowled. "You have very disturbing delusions, Yasu," Ayako said. "I can set you an appointment with a friend of mine. He's a really good psychiatrist."

Takigawa rolled his eyes. "That Kurogawa again?" he muttered.

Ayako frowned at Takigawa. "It's Kurogasa," she said. "And he's a really good psychiatrist."

"Right," Takigawa said sighing. "And he's a really good guitarist, and he's a really good singer, blah blah blah..." he said waving his hand limply in the air before he turned away.

"He **is**!" Ayako said staring confused at Takigawa.

Yasuhara burst into laughter. "You two are having a lovers' quarrel!"

Ayako and Takigawa glared at Yasuhara. "We're not lovers!" they yelled.

Yasuhara just continued to laugh. "Mai is going to love this!" he said.

"Eh? So they're going to come back here in Japan?" Takigawa asked excitedly.

"We'll see Mai-chan again?" Ayako elatedly asked.

Yasuhara chuckled. "Eventually," he said.

"...Eventually?" Takigawa asked. "You mean it's not sure?"

Yasuhara shrugged his shoulders. "Mai is still Japanese, isn't she?" he said. "She's bound to come back here in Japan."

Ayako scowled at Yasuhara. "You know something and you're not telling us about it," she said.

Takigawa leaned on the counter and fixed his stern gaze at Yasuhara. "Spill it, Yasu," he said.

* * *

><p>Mai snuggled closer to the warm pillow shielding her from the chilly air. It wasn't soft, but it wasn't hard either. It was just like Naru's chest...<p>

Mai's eyes snapped open. She tried to see where she was but the sudden brightness around her made it difficult for her eyes to see.

She had to scratch her eyes several times to clear her blurry vision.

Mai felt Naru's arms tighten its hold on her. She looked up, expecting to see Naru's face.

She smiled. He was frowning. He really didn't like waking up early in the morning.

Mai sighed and laid her head over his chest.

It was then that she realized they weren't in their bedroom.

...Right! The power went off and they camped in front of the fireplace, and-

Mai gasped. She stiffened at the memory that suddenly flooded her thoughts.

She confessed! He replied...HE REPLIED WITH A KISS!

No, it wasn't a kiss. It was...

Mai quickly lifted the blanket covering her from the neck down. She sighed in relief upon seeing how fully clothed she was.

Naru was also still fully clothed.

Mai sighed again...but because of disappointment?

She fixed her eyes on one of the buttons of Naru's shirt.

It was weird. A moment ago, she was so afraid that **something **had happened between her and Naru. When she confirmed that nothing happened, she actually felt disappointed that they just literally slept last night.

Mai shut her eyes.

What was she disappointed about exactly? That she woke up still a virgin? Or that she woke up with the possibility that-

Mai opened her eyes.

It was all a dream – the conversation, the confession, the confusion...and the kiss.

Mai sighed and wiped her eyes. She looked up at Naru's face. He wasn't frowning much anymore, perhaps because he realized that she had no plans of getting up yet.

She bit her lip.

Somehow a stupid thought just went into her crazy brain – an idea that she was sure to regret later on.

She slowly raised her head and scooted closer to Naru's face.

He was still asleep. His breathing was even. He might even still be dreaming.

Mai swallowed as she gazed down at Naru's face.

Why was she doing this again?

"Because you wouldn't be able to do it again – **ever**," she heard her greedy and evil self whisper inside her head.

And her good and moral side hadn't pulled her back from doing what she was about to do.

Mai took a deep breath. She took one look at Naru's closed eyes and slowly lowered her face – her lips finding its way to Naru's own.

Warm and soft – just as she remembered from her dream...His breath tickled the flesh right above her lips. A million sparks of electricity ran through her veins, causing something in her stomach to stir and her whole body feel insane.

It was supposed to be short – a little innocent harmless peck – but she suddenly felt Naru's hand grasp the back of her neck, his other hand caress her back, and his lips...devour her hungrily and eagerly like in that dream she had.

She heard a moan echo from the back of her throat as Naru deepened the kiss. She felt dizzy as the number of sparks running through her body increased making her feel sensations she couldn't even find the words to accurately describe.

A sigh escaped her lips as Naru released her. They were both out of breath. Their hearts were pounding loudly against their chests.

She had to lean her forehead against his forehead. Her body was too tired and strained to lift itself away from him.

Their breath bounced off each other's faces. Mai couldn't help but blush at how minty Naru's breath still was even after six...eight hours of sleeping. She felt conscious about her own breath until she realized Naru bought her the same brand of toothpaste the day before.

She remembered using it right before she decided to watch TV in the living room. Hopefully it worked the same wonders for mouth.

Naru pulled her closer so her head lay on the crook of his neck. "Good morning," he whispered against her hair, tickling the patch of skin his breath caressed.

Mai felt her heart go beserk. She wondered if Naru could feel it, the same way she could feel his heart beat and rapid breathing against her chest.

"Good morning," she whispered back and she could swear Naru smirked against her neck.

"We kissed," he said plainly. "Yes. We kissed last night and you fell asleep."

Mai frowned – her cheeks in flames. It must have pissed Naru off – Mai suddenly falling asleep while in the middle of some romantic activity.

"You were pretending to be asleep," she muttered.

"You wanted to pretend you were asleep too," he replied.

True. She was hoping he wouldn't notice her little deviant stunt. But this was Naru.

Mai sighed and forced herself to lean away from him.

He frowned in reply. "What time is it?"

Mai scratched her eyes and sat up – her gaze on the wall where she remembered a clock should be. "It's nine in the morning," she said, surprised at how late they woke up that morning.

Naru sighed and sat up. "I'm washing my face," he said before he stood up and walked to the bathroom near the kitchen.

Mai stood up as well. She thought of fixing the mess they made on the living room carpet first but the need to heed to Mother Nature's call told her the chore could wait.

* * *

><p>Naru splashed ice cold water on his face.<p>

He didn't like it, but he had to stop himself from heeding into his natural male desires. He almost lost it again when Mai kissed him. Luckily, Lin was his mentor.

Last night and this morning was some of the few times he actually felt grateful for Lin's patience and efforts in teaching him the ways of a highly disciplined monk.

Naru sighed and looked up at his reflection.

There was still a touch of pink on his pale cheeks. His heart was still trying to recover from the excitement it had earlier.

He shook his head and wiped the droplets of water he unconsciously splashed on the mirror when he washed his face.

"So are you going to tell me **why** you're both still virgins?" he heard his reflection ask.

Naru glared at his reflection. "And here I thought death taught you to be a bit more **moral**," he muttered.

Gene chuckled. "I'm just being scientific without using your usual pedantic words," he said. "Allow me to re-phrase. Why have you not ferti-"

"SHUT UP!" Naru hissed, glaring daggers at his reflection. "One more and I'll make sure you get sent to somewhere you don't wan to be in!"

Gene raised his hands up, snickering at the red tint peeping from his twin's cheeks. "Alright," he said. "Are you going to tell me what I want to know?"

Naru sighed and ruffled his hair. He looked down at the sink. "She fell asleep," he said.

"While you two were..?" Gene hinted.

Naru glared at him.

Gene just smiled widely back at him.

"...Making out," Naru said coldly.

"And she fell asleep in the middle the activity?" Gene asked, smirking at his brother.

Naru sighed and wiped his face. He was flushed and he didn't like it.

First of all, they both had a long day - which luckily practically drained Mai of enough energy to stay awake after the intense activity Naru introduced to her last night.

"Mind explaining yourself?" Gene asked.

"What is there to explain?" Naru asked. "You could have been watching us the whole time."

"Nope," Gene said. "I ran away when you had her pinned down on the floor."

Naru sighed and wiped his face again, knowing how red his face was as his head replayed the events of the night before.

"I'm waiting," Gene said.

Naru sighed. "I almost did it," he said.

"I know," Gene said. "You looked like you were going to do it then and there."

Naru scratched his head. "I couldn't do it," he said.

Gene stared at him. "You...couldn't do it," he mumbled. "When did you realize this exactly?"

Naru glared at Gene. "I haven't stripped her yet when I did," he snapped. "If that's what you're asking."

Gene raised his hands up again. "Alright," he said. "No need to let hell break loose."

Naru looked down at the wet sink.

"So why couldn't you do it?" Gene softly asked.

Naru's fingers began tapping the edge of the sink. "I just...I..." He paused to take a deep breath. "I didn't want to do it just because it would make things easier for us," he began again.

Gene just watched him.

"I didn't want to do it just to prove my love for her," Naru continued. "I didn't want to do it just so she could prove her love for me. I didn't want to do it because we felt good about it last night."

He looked up at Gene.

"I wanted to do it with her...but not last night," Naru said. "I want to do it with her because we have every social and legal right in the world to do so. I want to do it with her because we want to start a family of our own. I want to do it with her because we're going to spend the rest of our lives with each other."

The twins stared at each other for a moment.

Naru sighed and ruffled his hair – his blue eyes looking away from the mirror. "I'm insane," he muttered.

Gene smiled. "I'm proud of you," he said.

Naru looked confused at Gene.

"You did it," Gene said. "You finally learned how to live your life the way you've always deserved it."

Naru stared at Gene. He shuffled his memories with him and slowly understood what Gene meant.

He had always thought that he was Gene's opposite. That meant whatever Gene was, Noll wasn't. Gene was always cheerful. Noll wasn't. Gene was always kind. Noll wasn't.

Gene deserved to love and be loved by everyone. Noll di...

Naru smirked. "This is how irrational you wanted me to be," he said.

Gene shrugged his shoulders. "It feels good though, doesn't it?" he asked.

"Naru!" Naru heard Mai call from outside the loo.

"Here!" Naru replied looking at the door.

"What do you want for breakfast?" he heard he ask.

Naru thought for a moment. "Tea," he answered.

He heard a loud huff and he knew Mai was glaring daggers at the bathroom door.

"I'm making Eggs Benedict," she said. "Do you eat those?"

"I eat anything edible," Naru answered smirking. He knew Mai would be rolling her eyes at the door, and stomping away from the bathroom door afterwards.

And as if on cue, Naru heard heavy footfalls – stomps – echoing away from the door.

Naru sighed and turned to look at the mirror again. He saw a smiling version of himself – a hint of red on his cheeks.

No. It wasn't Gene. It was him.

Naru shook his head, snickering.

Yes. It felt good.


	19. Chapter 19

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing "Where is home?"_

_Mixed emotions on what really transpired that night, haha! _^ v ^

_Here's this week's chapter. Disclaimner: It's long. Anyway, do tell me what you think about it. _^ v *

* * *

><p>"I'm wash–" Mai said as she stood up from the dining table.<p>

Sadly, Naru had taken the dishes away from the table and into the sink. He pulled up his sleeves and put on the apron.

Breakfast went on as if nothing extra special happened when they woke up that morning. Mai talked, Naru listened, Mai said something stupid, Naru pointed it out, Mai defended herself by teasing Naru, Naru teased her back, they bantered, and Naru ended up winning their teasing competition.

And now, Naru was washing the dishes.

Mai sighed and decided to start cleaning the stove, since she forgot to fix the mess she made there when she whipped up the Eggs Benedicts they ate. Besides, she was too pissed at Naru to stand close to him.

He insisted she was "insensitive" when it came to how people act toward her. And she was **not** insensitive. She just…didn't think people actually viewed her as someone they liked to be with.

She was wiping the stove top when Naru broke the silence that was overwhelming the room.

"Going anywhere?" Naru asked as he wiped the oil stains off of a plate with a soapy foam.

Mai thought for a moment. She was about to say she didn't have any plans that day when she remembered Iris.

She should be doing house chores now. And perhaps Mai should too. But what was she going to do afterwards? Watching TV, now that the power was back, still didn't look like a good idea since she didn't understand anything there.

"I'm planning to see Iris," Mai said, thinking it was the best way to spend the day after doing house chores. Surely Iris wouldn't mind spending time with her after having her own 'house chores day.'

Naru didn't respond.

Mai was about to think that he didn't like the idea when he spoke again.

"What time will you see her?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," Mai answered. "I haven't spoken to her about it yet."

"She left you a calling card?"

"Yeah," Mai answered, recalling the card Iris gave her. There were numbers scribbled at the back of the card – her home phone number, and her mobile phone number. "Oh! That reminds me. Do you know where I can use a phone?" she asked, forgetting the mobile phone Naru gave her.

Naru sighed. "Can you look up at the kitchen door's doorframe for me?" he asked.

Mai frowned.

If he didn't know where she could use a phone, he could have just done so. She wouldn't hate him for being honest.

But she did what shewas told. "What do you need?" she muttered.

"That white thing on the wall, right side of the doorframe," Naru said.

Mai gasped in surprise.

Lo and behold! A wall phone - a stylish one at that!

"We have a wall phone?" Mai exclaimed, staring at the white equipment on the wall.

"Since we moved here," Naru said. "Yes. And I've paid the bill. It works."

Mai frowned at Naru. "When did you pay the bill?" If she was going to use it, she should have a share in maintaining the phone service.

"Before we moved in," Naru said as he wiped the washed plates dry.

…Which simply meant, "Before we rode the train from England."

Mai looked away, cheeks flushed.

He really had everything planned out.

"You know how to use the phone?" Naru asked as he placed the cleaned dishes and dining utensils into the cupboard.

"Of course I do!" Mai said. She wasn't **that** stupid.

Naru took the apron off and hung it up on its hook.

Mai continued to wipe the stove grills.

"I'll be in the office," he said as he walked toward her.

"Okay," Mai said thinking he must have some work to do again.

She suddenly felt a pair of warm arms snake around her waist from behind. She gasped and jolted as Naru held her against him.

"You will **talk** to **me** before you leave," he seductively whispered into her ear.

Mai felt flames devour her cheeks. Her heart was pounding loudly against her chest again, just like when she shared that long…intense kiss with Naru.

"Mai," Naru said, prompting her to give him a reply.

"Y-Yes," she said nodding furiously with her gaze fixed on the stove in front of her.

"I will be expecting you to do just that," he said. "And **if** you don't…"

Mai felt Naru's fingers touch her chin. He turned her head to face him.

Mai's wide brown eyes met Naru's icy blue ones.

And for the first time in a long time, she felt frightening chills run up her spine.

He was **glaring** at her.

"I will tie a **leash** around your neck," he said.

Mai found herself nodding furiously at Naru.

He smirked, released her and walked out of the kitchen.

Mai sighed in relief. She glared at the kitchen doorway.

"Jerk," she hissed.

"Mai," Naru called as he walked up the stairs.

Mai gasped.

Did he hear her? Will he come back to glare at her again? Will he lock her up in the house as punishment?

"Tea!"

Mai scowled.

And that was one other reason why she didn't like to spend the rest of the day in the house.

* * *

><p>"We can handle this," Lin assured Martin.<p>

They were in Martin's office at home discussing how they should begin their search for Noll.

Their quick trip to Japan had piled a number of cases and documents on Martin's table. Leaving for another trip would no longer be beneficial in sustaining SPR.

So Lin told Martin to leave the search to him and Baehler.

Martin sighed. "I just can't help myself from thinking this is my responsibility as his father, Lin," he said. "I ought to pick him over SPR."

Lin smiled. "He didn't run away because you chose SPR over him," he said. "He will understand."

Martin nodded. "You will give me a daily, if not hourly, report on the search," he said.

"I will," Lin answered.

"Thank you," Martin said, bowing to Lin.

Lin bowed courteously in return.

"So do you and Baehler have a plan?" Martin asked.

"I had him checking the possible places where Noll would want to stay in," Lin said. "I'm not sure if this is right, but I'm thinking Belgium just might have been Noll's stop over destination."

Martin raised his brows.

"I mean, this is Noll we are talking about," Lin said. "He might have ordered Kaiba-san to buy him tickets to Belgium to lead whoever would ask Kaiba-san about the trip, to think Noll stayed in Belgium."

Martin smirked and looked down at the documents on his desk. "He knew Kaiba-san would spill information to someone," he said. "Someone he knew we would seek help from, hence Belgium." Martin nodded and looked at Lin. "That is possible. So he could be anywhere beyond Belgium."

"I had Baehler check the train routes just in case," Lin said. "...Since using the train is the easiest way to go around Europe."

"So he could either be in Germany, or in the Netherlands," Martin said. "Lin, you checked the records in Zurich before, yes?"

Lin nodded. "Yes," he said. "I've also thought he could be in the Netherlands. But Baehler and I will be contacting the German Embassy to confirm that Noll didn't reach any city in Germany."

Martin nodded. "If you don't find Noll in Belgium," he began. "Check the Netherlands first."

"I'll take note of that," Lin said.

Martin leaned back in his chair. "Were you with us when we checked an SPR case in the Netherlands?" he asked – his gaze fixed at the pen on his table.

He was sifting through his memories.

"I...don't think so," Lin said trying to remember a trip to the Netherlands that he shared with the professor and his family. His trips there were mostly with Madoka and other SPR investigators.

Martin nodded and smiled. "We went to Amsterdam," he said. "Noll and Gene were thirteen. We stayed there for 3 days but Noll had already memorized it like the back of his hand."

Lin stared surprised at the professor.

Martin chuckled. "Noll snooped around as usual," he said. "He frequently ran away with Gene to check other places in the city. We decided to have a short tour of the place after we solved the case. When we did, we had Noll directing us on where to go and where **not** to go, as if he had lived there his whole life." He looked up at Lin. "And I believe he visited Amsterdam just less than a year ago for a case."

Lin stiffened.

Noll would know Amsterdam well. The professor was right. Amsterdam was the first place they should check in the Netherlands.

* * *

><p>"HMMM!" Iris sighed as she sipped the strawberry smoothie she and Mai ordered in the cafe.<p>

Iris was ecstatic when she heard Mai's voice on the phone. Mai was right. Iris wanted to get out of the house after doing so many house chores that morning.

"You are an absolute angel," Iris told Mai.

Mai chuckled. "That's just sugar rush," she said. After all, they ate parfait already before they ordered the fruit shakes.

It was odd, yes, considering there was mild snowing out on the street. But practically any kind of food warmed the human body. So when they craved for some icy desserts, they didn't think twice about getting them.

"You haven't told me what happened after that awkward stunt yesterday," Iris said as Mai took a sip of her own strawberry banana smoothie.

"Oh," Mai said understanding what Iris meant. "We walked around, had dinner, and went home."

Iris smirked. "You were bloody pissed at him, were you not?"

Mai shrugged her shoulders. She couldn't quite hate Naru that much.

"So...he made amends?"

Mai nodded. "The trip and the food were great," she said. "I was already smiling when we got home."

Iris chuckled. "Surely he did **more** than that," she said. "You know – to assure you he wants no one else but you."

Mai stiffened and looked away.

She remembered the black out, the confession, the steamy kiss...

Mai sipped her smoothie.

Iris smirked as Mai's cheeks burned into a shade of red. "I **knew** it!" she said. "You had it last night, didn't you? I figured with that black out and all, you would be having one awesome honeymoon!"

Mai choked on the fruit shake. She coughed several times and stared shocked at Iris. "W-What?"

"Aww, no need to be shy," Iris said smiling at her. "My boyfriend and I do it too."

Mai's jaws fell.

Right...She was in Europe. People aren't that conservative anymore. Well, some of her schoolmates in Japan do it to. That's why a lot of them end up married after high school.

...But somehow hearing that fact from Iris shocked her.

NO. The fact that Iris implied Naru and Mai did what Iris and her boyfriend **did** was what shocked her.

Mai looked away.

Well, she and Naru were supposed to be married so they were supposed to have done it. And maybe last night, they **would have** done it...if only she didn't fall asleep.

Mai sighed.

"I'm sorry," Iris said. "I know we just met and all, but I just couldn't help but ask about it. You've got a beefcake for a husband! Don't get me the wrong way though. I **love** my man."

Mai chuckled. Beefcake. She remembered what that meant. And yes, Naru was the kind of man who could be described as a "beefcake." And she was betting he was slightly buff. His arms were toned. His chest was solid and his abdomen was...

Mai sipped her smoothie.

She was starting to palpitate. The memory of the heated kiss and groping session that came with it rushed into her head.

Yes. She groped Naru. NO. She didn't grope his beautiful behind. She just slipped her hand into his shirt and found the curves on his abdomen that his loose buttoned shirts hid.

Yes. Naru was a beefcake.

"I honestly couldn't blame that bint yesterday," Iris said. "I'm sorry. I know he's your husband but, he...has this...charm. He's irresistible."

Mai nodded.

Yes. He was irresistible. That was why when he kissed her she just allowed him to do so. When he kissed her again and coaxed her into kissing back, she kissed him back. When he started touching her here and there and coaxed her into doing the same, she did.

"...my boyfriend," she heard Iris say. Apparently, her friend was talking about her own boyfriend. "I **love** teasing him. I'd tease him and make him think I want him, and then I'd walk out and tell him I have something I need to do first. He'd tell me, 'Do you have any idea how irresistible you are?' Like I am, right? **He**'s the irresistible one. When I see his chest I just melt!"

Mai forced herself to smile. Talks about intimate things her friends shared with their loved ones were awkward for her.

Florence didn't tell Mai much about her intimate experiences with Edmund. Mai knew Florence and Edmund had done **it** before, but she had no idea how or how frequent they did it. They acted mature enough to look like they no longer starved for each other's presence.

Sure they cuddled and kissed, but Florence and Edmund acted like Mai's parents when Mai was with them. They held hands and gave Mai the impression that the two of them were bonded. But it didn't make Mai think about how they did their bed escapades like Iris' open discussion about her French boyfriend did.

Or maybe that wasn't just because Florence and Edmund were more private with their intimate moments. Maybe the effect Mai was getting from Iris' disclosures also had something to do with the fact that she already **knew** some of what she was talking about.

If she didn't fall asleep that night, they might have done it.

Mai sipped her smoothie to flush the perverted thoughts down her throat.

"One time, I fell asleep and he **really** woke me up just so we could do it!" Iris said.

Mai almost choked. Again.

So falling asleep wasn't enough to stop a motivated man to do **it**.

Why didn't Naru wake her up?

Mai sipped her smoothie again. Those perverted thoughts were invading her head!

No. She didn't regret seeing Iris that day. She just...That sentence struck **something** inside of her.

Mai stiffened as she realized what that something was – Naru was stopped by something other than Mai falling asleep.

She tried to recall what they did last night – kissing, touching, gasping, groping, hu-

THAT WAS IT! Naru must have seen or realized something in Mai that turned him off!

Mai looked up at Iris. She was still cheerfully telling her about her boyfriend whose name turned out to be "Gilles." She was beautiful. She looked stylish. She was blessed with a vuloptuous front and a proportioned set of curves.

Mai looked down at her body.

She was nothing like Iris.

Well, her chest was better endowed compared with when she first met Naru. Her curves were more pronounced. The cold weather there kept enough fats in her body to keep her from being too skinny.

Mai looked at Iris and smiled.

But Taniyama Mai wasn't beautiful.

Naru was...handsome, intelligent, striking, and gorgeous...a "beefcake." And Mai was...poor, stupid, naive...The only bad thing Naru had was his "jerk" personality but even that rude character of his attracted her.

There was just...nothing attractive about her. Maybe Naru realized that he didn't like Mai back after that kissing session. He didn't like her curves and didn't think crossing that line was worth the effort.

NO. She did **not** want to be pregnant. She still had a lot of things to do first. She wanted to finish college, have a steady and good-paying career, get married, and make sure she could raise a child before she had one.

Of course she didn't mind having Naru as the father of her child. But she wasn't in a hurry to be a mother. Raising a child wasn't just a walk in the park. She knew that. Her mother died while she tried her best to be a great mother for Mai.

And Mai thought her mother did more than great. She just wished her mother was still with her.

So Naru didn't get her pregnant that night. Mai wasn't pregnant yet. She should be happy, right?

But she wasn't, because somewhere in the back of her head, a voice was telling her that the lack of something happening between her and Naru after that heated make out meant that Naru realized she wasn't worth...his time.

Mai slowly sipped her smoothie.

Maybe those intimate gestures that morning were supposed to keep her from thinking about that fact. Naru just didn't want to hurt her feelings.

"Mai?" Iris asked noticing the sudden glum expression on her friend's face.

Mai looked up at her, eye brows raised.

"Are you alright?" Iris asked. "Did you and your husband have another fight?"

Mai realized how awful she must have looked and smiled at Iris. "N-no," she said. "I just remembered something."

"OH MY GOD!" Iris gasped. "HE CHEATED ON YOU BEFORE, DIDN'T HE? He cheated on you before and you caught him in the act, just as I did with my ex-boyfriend!"

Mai gasped. Iris must have been talking about busting her cheating ex-boyfriend when her face went noticeably gloomy.

"NO, no," Mai quickly said. "J-just a friend of mine...She...had the same experience as you and I remembered her when you were talking...about your ex-boyfriend."

"Oh," Iris said nodding. "Silly me!" she chuckled. "Your husband doesn't appear to be the 'cheating type' afterall. Trust me! That look he gave you yesterday? **That** is the look my dad gives to my mum. My dad said it's the look a man gives to the woman he is sure to spend the rest of his life with. "

Mai smiled.

...If only it was true...


	20. Chapter 20

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing "Where is home?" _^ v ^ _And for the new readers, thank you all so much! I'm really happy you enjoyed the stories. _

_I've read reviews about readers deciding to get hubbys of their after reading the past chapters. Just for the record, I am not encouraging you to get hitched, nor get knocked up (unless you're of legal age and you're responsible enough to do so). ^ _v_ * But if you're getting a "Naru" (in this story) as your hubby, then by all means _ v

_And I've read good comments about Iris! Just a little trivia on her: Remember the image cover for 'Key' made by a Filipina reader named Patricia? I didn't expect these stories would have such devoted fans, and I was just so happy about her work that I asked her to name a character (who will be Mai's friend in Amsterdam). She named the character 'Iris,' and from the meaning of that name I developed the character's mood and personality._

_I'm really glad a lot of you like Iris! ^ _v

_Anyway, here's this week's chapter for "Where is home?" Do tell me what you all think about it. _

* * *

><p>Naru pressed the channel button on the remote, his bored blue eyes barely caring what was flashing on the TV screen.<p>

It was already around 6:45 in the evening and he was still alone in the house.

He sighed as he pressed the button on the remote again, ignoring how the Dutch man on the screen showed how to whip a bowl of cream.

Why the hell didn't he just check the channel number for that station? Oh right…He couldn't find the printed channel guide anywhere. And he was too bored to check the channel guide using the remote control. Seeing a list of TV channels on the screen was just too much for his strained eyes.

The screen flashed a Korean music video.

ABOUT THE BLOODY TIME!

Naru leaned forward, making the couch squeak slightly. He pushed the button again. The screen flashed an image of an Indian woman about to get a henna tattoo.

Ah, she's getting married.

Naru pressed the button again and sighed.

Married. So how was he going to convince his father that he was serious about Mai? Well not knocking her up was one tough way to do it. Would his father buy it though?

An image of Indonesian kids playing football flashed on the screen. It reminded him of his childhood with Gene - when they played football with each other in the backyard of the Davis house.

Naru pressed the channel button again.

If he knocked Mai up, his father would have to make sure that Mai becomes a Davis. But it woudn't give Mai a good impression to his father. He would think she was a gold digger who wanted to get pregnant to have a better life. Or he would think Noll was just using her to avoid the marriage they arranged for him.

And even if his father gets over it, their relatives wouldn't. He could still remember how the Davis couple's relatives acted toward him and Gene. The fact that the couple couldn't have children of their own was a terrible blow to the family's reputation. Then the couple picked up two stray puppies in America to be their children. It took Noll and Gene years to gain their respect. How long would it take for Mai and his child to gain respect from them?

Add to that the media that Naru could no longer shake off from his tail as "Oliver Davis." They would sensationalize the issue. They would establish an unjust image of his wife and child in the eyes of the people Noll worked with. He didn't care about how it would effect his reputation. He could live with the scorn. But Mai with her immense degree of kindness and concern for others...

It would harm Mai and their child, and there was no way Naru would let anyone hurt them.

Naru scowled as a couple making out under the rain flashed on the screen.

He changed the channel again and ended up seeing a Japanese newscaster reporting a celebration that happened in Hokkaido.

Naru smiled and dropped the remote control next to him.

Then the program featured a new bar in Shibuya.

He smirked. He remembered those nights he worked as an assistant bartender. He knew Yasuhara made the position up so he could have Naru working in the bar.

Yasuhara had known him. But he respected Naru's reasons for not confronting him about it.

Respect. Naru's father should respect Mai first. That's the first step in making him see reason.

Naru's stunt should show his father that Mai was **that** valuable to him, that his father should give her the same degree of respect he gives his son.

The next step should show his father-

Naru heard a click on the door. He stood up and pretended to walk toward the kitchen.

"Tadaima!" Mai called as the door creaked open. She walked inside after shaking the snow off of her hair.

She saw him in the lobby, standing and about to walk to the kitchen. His blue eyes glanced at her.

Mai's heart skipped. She cleared her throat and tried to ignore the fact that blood was rushing to her cheeks.

"Did I miss my curfew?" she asked.

Before Mai left, she spoke to Naru in the office about her afternoon date with Iris. He allowed her to go on her own, under the condition that she would be home before seven in the evening.

Naru glanced at the clock on the wall. "Not yet," he answered seeing it was only 6:51.

Mai sighed in relief and walked into the lobby with a paper bag in hand. "I bought apple pudding," she said offering the bag to Naru.

Naru glanced down at it.

"We went to this café," Mai said. "It had lots of pies and puddings. I didn't know what…you liked so…"

Mai froze as the sound of a Japanese newsanchor talking about Japanese food in Japanese language echoed from the living room.

She gasped and rushed to the TV.

Naru followed her, knowing how hilarious her reaction would be.

Mai, teary eyed, kneeled down in front of the TV. She touched the flat screen TV and squealed.

"We have a Japanese channel! NARU WE HAVE A JAPANESE CHANNEL! I can't believe it! We have a Japanese Channel!" she exclaimed, dropping the bag of apple pudding on her lap. "And it's in Japanese! They're talking in Japanese! NARU IT'S IN JAPANESE!"

Naru folded his arms and smirked.

...Childish.

At least, perhaps now she wouldn't want to leave the house a lot. He could barely understand the dissertation he was editing earlier because he was anxious about how she was doing out in the streets.

Did she get lost? Did she meet Iris? Were they safe? Were they eating? Did she know how to get back home? Did they encounter some bad guy in the street?

"I can't believe it!" Mai said. "I mean, we're talking in Japanese here in the house but it's just so different when the TV's talking to me in Japanese too! Oh Naru! That's Tokyo! Oh look! That's Kyoto! When did we get this channel?"

"We're subscribed to it," Naru answered.

Mai gasped and turned to Naru. "Since when..?"

Naru raised a brow at her. "Before we moved here," he said. "That's the cable receiver, right there," he said pointing to the black electronic box below the TV.

Mai stared at the blinking green lights on it. She stiffened. "B-but don't you need a special subscription to get a Japanese channel?" she asked.

From what she remembered in the discussions in the Norringbent mansion, the monthly subscription to a Japanese channel was worth at 50 euros. But customers had to pay an additional 150 euros for the registration fee. They also had to purchase a separate satellite antenna and decoder to get the channel to show up on the TV. And from what one of their house boys in the mansion said, the decoder itself was worth 296 euros, four years ago.

"So..?"

Mai turned aghast at Naru. "You paid extra for it!" And by extra, that meant huge! If the subscription costed that much several years ago, how much more would it be now?

He shrugged his shoulders.

"B-but…It must have cost you a fortune!" Mai said.

Naru frowned. "You're not the only one who speaks Japanese here," he said.

Mai sighed and smiled. That was Naru's way of telling her, "I don't care. We have the channel. Deal with it."

Pleased, honoured, happy, ecstatic – those were just some of the emotions Naru saw on Mai's face after that.

"Oh Naru," she said chuckling before she wiped her teary eyes. "How much is my share on the bill?"

…As if she had enough money to help him with the expenses. "Cook me dinner, serve me tea," Naru answered.

Mai chuckled. "Ooh! The pudding! Let me take this to the kitchen," she said picking up the brown bag from her lap.

Naru walked to her and took the brown bag from her hand. "Okaeri nasai," he whispered before he gently placed a kiss on her lips.

Mai froze as her lips felt his warm soft ones. She closed her eyes and was about to kiss him back when she remembered why she bought the pudding.

Naru felt Mai lean away from his kiss. He raised a brow at her.

What did he do now?

Mai's face was flushed. She had no idea how to ask him about what she wanted to know. At first, her plan was make Naru so happy he wouldn't get pissed when she asked him about his real feelings for her.

Brits, based on her experience in the Norringbent household at least, usually had pudding for dessert in their dinners. Because Mai hadn't been serving pudding in the house since they moved there, she figured he must have missed eating them. Afterall he was still, though possibly just in paper, a Brit.

She didn't know how she thought buying him the first pudding she saw in the café would help her keep Naru from being upset in a confrontation. She just bought it thinking it would help.

So the plan was to get him to eat the pudding in the dining table. While he was happily eating his pudding, she would spill the beans.

…Stupid. Can you imagine Naru "happily eating" pudding? You can imagine Gene doing that but for goodness's sake, not Naru.

And now, because Naru had obviously noticed that something was up, she would have to spill the beans then and there.

Mai bit her lips. How should she start?

Naru loudly cleared his throat.

Mai looked up at him and saw one of his elegantly shaped black eyebrows raised at her.

He watched her play with her fingers, her eyes fixed on the TV.

She was nervous. That was not a good sign.

Mai cleared her throat. "N-naru," she began.

Naru didn't speak. He was sure she would be more anxious if she heard his voice.

"Um…Last night…"

Did she want to forget about it? BLAST IT! THERE WAS NO BLOODY WAY HE WAS GOING TO FORGET IT! Did she not think of how difficult it was for him to just let go of his ego that night? How difficult it was for him to be **that** forward and–

"Nothing happened between us, right?" Mai asked. "Aside from the kiss – kisses – I mean kiss…" She shook her head. Her cheeks were furiously blushing.

Naru raised his brows.

OH…So it was about **that**, huh? He didn't think she would react to it that immediately. She didn't seem to have been thinking about it that morning.

It must be Iris. And here he thought the girl was good for Mai.

"Yes," Naru answered.

Mai nodded. "I fell asleep," she said.

"Yes."

"You…didn't wake me up," she said.

"Did you want me to?"

"NO!" Mai said looking up at Naru. Her brown eyes drowned in his blue ones. She forced herself to look away. "I…I mean…That's not what I wanted to– I mean…"

Naru smirked and stepped closer to her.

"What do you want to know exactly?" he asked.

Mai sighed. "Um…If…If I didn't…fall asleep would… would something else have…happened…between us last night?"

"I doubt it," he answered.

Mai closed her eyes, biting her lips from wincing.

He really felt disappointed at her that night, huh? It must be her curves…or her chest. She had seen a lot of Westerners who were blessed with quite large pairs after all. And the fats she had gained since she stayed in Europe! Those flabs and excess weight–

"That's not your question," Naru said.

True. Why was he so good at this?

"Why?" Mai asked with her eyes still tightly shut. She was afraid to hear the truth – the fact that he realized how ugly she was in comparison with those other girls Naru had known and met. "Why…?" She wanted to say something more than the word but nothing else came out.

"Which do you prefer," Naru asked. "I lust for you, or I love you?"

Mai frowned and glared up at Naru. "I love you, of course!" she wasn't that stupid. If she was going to be in a romantic relationship, she wouldn't be there just for the sexual intercourse!

Naru nodded and turned away. "There you go," he said.

Mai stared at him for a moment. She watched him vanish into the lobby.

Did he just…Did he just tell her he **loved** her?

* * *

><p>"Baehler," Lin said as he held the mobile phone against his ear. He stood by the window of his office in SPR. He had just finished filing the cases that had piled up in his desk when he decided to call Baehler for a follow up on the new task he asked him to do.<p>

"Yes," Baehler replied from the other line. "I mean, yes I found properties in Amsterdam owned by Oswald Mortimer. And you will love **one** of them!"

Lin stiffened.

"One of them is situated on the outskirts of Amsterdam," Baehler said. "Plenty of rural ambience, neighbours don't show up until you drive two or three blocks away from the house – perfect place to hide a kidnap victim."

Lin closed his eyes. Martin could be right.

"So, are we still going to visit Belgium?" Baehler asked.

"Yes," Lin said. "We need concrete evidence that they **did** head for Amsterdam."

* * *

><p>Mai felt her heart skip. She held her flaming cheeks.<p>

Naru loved her! He actually loved her! The reason why he didn't do it, why he didn't plan on doing it, was to show her that he wanted more than just sex.

He wanted her. He wanted to be with her. He loved **her**.

Mai wiped the tears that formed in her eyes and smiled. She ran to the kitchen knowing Naru was going to put the apple pudding in the refrigerator.

She saw him setting up a plate on the dining table instead. He carefully placed the apple pudding on the plate and placed the plate on the center of the table – the table that Mai realized had already been prepared for dinner.

"Naru!" Mai gasped in surprise. "Naru, are these– "

"Dinner?" Naru asked – his eyes on the table as he crumpled the oily paperbag of the apple pudding. "Yes."

Mai slowly walked closer to the table, gawking at the plates. There were two small soup bowls of hot miso soup, two bowls of steamy rice, two plates of breaded pork slices, two small bowls of steamed vegetables, two small cups of vegetable salad, and two pairs of chopsticks daintily placed over two carefully folded table napkins.

"Y-You made these?" she asked turning to look at Naru.

Naru raised a brow at her. "I don't recall seeing any Japanese restaurants nearby."

Mai's eyes were teary again but this time, a wide smile was on her face. "Sorry," she muttered, as she wiped the tears away.

Naru slowly walked closer to her. His eyes studied her expression.

He was sure nothing else happened between them last night. So why was she acting like she was a pregnant woman with hormones going haywire? Was she really pregnant?

Mai looked up at him and noticed the anxiety on his face. She chuckled. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just really missed home, that's all." She gently wrapped her arms around his neck and locked her brown eyes into his blue ones. "You love me," she said.

"Do I..?" Naru said pulling her waist so she stood close to him.

Mai chuckled. "Tadaima," she whispered.

Naru smirked. "Okaeri," he whispered back before he leaned down and claimed her lips with his own.

This time, Mai closed her eyes and kissed him back. He pulled her closer and deepened the kiss.

Hopefully Mai wouldn't want to get out of the house too often from that day on.


	21. Chapter 21

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing 'Where is home?' _^ v ^

_Here's the next chapter. Tell me what you think about it! _^ v *

* * *

><p>Masako stood in front of the church, thinking if she should still do what she went there for.<p>

It seemed like the best idea in the world that morning – visiting Fr. Brown and telling him about her plan of going to Belgium to help look for Oliver. He was Prof. Davis' friend after all. He would be happy to hear that they had a lead on where to find him.

And perhaps she would invite him to go with her to Belgium? So he could see Oliver again as well?

But as she reached the church she realized how pathetic her reason for visiting was.

Gene was Fr. Brown's friend, not Oliver. Why did she really want to go there?

Masako looked up at the church.

She wanted…to tell him something she couldn't tell her friends about…The dream, the uneasy feeling about still fighting for Oliver…

She wanted to talk to him about her dilemmas - something she didn't think should be consulted with a priest, nor with someone you barely knew.

Sure, they shared breakfast, they worked together at one point, they knew someone in common, but they weren't **real** friends, were they?

Which makes her wonder - why Fr. Brown? Why ask for **his** advise?

"Hara-san!" she suddenly heard from behind her. She gasped and covered her lips. She slowly turned to look at the priest she was sure was standing behind her.

"I'm sorry," John said shyly. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"Oh no, no," Masako said shaking her head. Her cheeks were in flames.

"Would you like to go inside?" John asked. "It's quite chilly today."

Masako smiled and shakily nodded.

John chuckled and led her to the quarters.

* * *

><p>"What is Lin planning to do?" Luella asked Madoka as she browsed through the files on her desk.<p>

Madoka was in her office with a stack of files in her hands.

It was work day in the SPR office and they were doing their best to get back on track with the case reports that were submitted to them.

"With looking for Noll, I mean," Luella said.

Madoka shyly looked away as she sat down on one of the chairs by Luella's office table. "Well," she began. "He and Baehler are planning to go to Belgium. Two days from now."

Luella nodded. She looked up at Madoka. "Are you on my husband's side?" she whispered.

Madako froze and stared at Luella for a moment, before she burst into laughter. "You don't want to find Noll yet, do you?" she whispered back.

Luella shyly looked away. "It just feels so wrong," she whispered.

Madoka sighed and nodded. "You like Ms. Taniyama?" she asked.

Luella smiled at Madoka. "I haven't seen her yet," she said. "But if Noll thought she was good for him, I think I'll like her."

Madoka chuckled and nodded.

"Have you seen her?" Luella asked.

Madoka nodded, recalling the first time she saw her – when Noll saved Taniyama Mai in the market place.

Luella gasped in excitement. "What does she look like?" she asked.

"Brown hair," Madoka answered. "…Short girl, very cute in my opinion. And she seems to know how to tease Noll back. She sees him as…a normal guy…I think," she said recalling how Mai reacted so calmly and normally with Noll.

Usually girls would start stuttering, or start being too self conscious around Noll. But Mai acted like he was just an average guy. Perhaps that was one trait Noll liked about her.

Luella giggled. "Oh I wish I can meet her," she said. "She seemed like a really nice girl based on those stories given by Emi-san. And those photos of Ms. Taniyama in her house! I just can't help but wonder what she looks like now."

Madoka chuckled. "I thought you liked Charlotte," she said.

Luella shrugged her shoulders. "Charlotte's not bad," she said. "But if Noll is already in love with someone, why insist that he marry Charlotte? Marriage is a lifetime commitment after all. He might as well marry someone he would want to be with for the rest of his life."

Madoka nodded. "I really thought you supported the professor on this one."

Luella sighed. "He's being stubborn," she said. "He's afraid for Noll. He doesn't want to lose Noll the way we lost Gene. He still blames himself you know? He thinks that if he didn't give Gene his blessing so Gene could go to Japan, we wouldn't lose him."

Madoka's face saddened. "But it's not your fault," she said. "I bet Gene doesn't blame any of you."

Luella chuckled. "Gene doesn't blame anything to others," she said. "Those twins never blame others for what they go through. Well, they would annoy each other by pointing fingers at each other but they only do it to tease one another."

Madoka nodded. "You know what convinced me that Ms. Taniyama is good for Noll?" she asked smiling at Luella.

"What?" Luella asked.

Madoka chuckled. "Ever since he saw her again here in England, Noll had been more like himself again," she said. "When he was with her, he was like the Noll we knew – the Noll who still had Gene."

Luella's eyes were filled with tears. She smiled and wiped her eyes. "I think it's time we girls join this game of hide and seek," she said.

Madoka chuckled. "I was just about to ask you about that."

* * *

><p>Charlotte stared down at the nightscape from her hotel window.<p>

She had just arrived in Belgium and she couldn't wait to get out of the hotel to look for Noll.

"They seem to think he's somewhere other than Belgium," she remembered one of the detectives tell her hours before she made the trip to Belgium.

She hired a detective that would spy on the detective that the Davis family hired. What Prof. Davis told her was that they thought Noll was in Belgium. But he didn't tell her that they were considering another location.

Charlotte sighed.

Were they considering that Japanese girl to be Noll's legal wife in England now? Impossible! The girl didn't seem like she finished a degree. According to her detectives, the girl worked as a maid and got into England illegally.

Why would Noll want such a miserable girl for a wife?

She could only think of one reason, and that was black mail. That was the only way to lure Noll into doing anything unusual anyway, like elope to some place in Europe with an impoverished girl.

Charlotte walked to her bed and sat down on it.

She had a number of suitors, but none of them was as handsome and as intelligent as Oliver Davis. So many men admired her beauty, but none of them included Oliver Davis.

Even when she garnered several awards in the field of science, Oliver Davis just saw her as his student – a girl unfit to be anything other than an acquaintance.

So to think that he fell for an impoverished Japanese girl who didn't get a degree and didn't graduate highschool with academic honors was…preposterous.

Charlotte lied down on the bed. If there would be one girl Noll would want to be with, it should be her. She was the female version of his self after all.

They said the best way to impress a narcissistic man, is to show him that you are his female version. So she strived hard to be like him. She felt proud to be a braniac. She did her best to look perfect.

But he still hadn't looked at her the way she wanted to.

Charlotte turned the lampshade off and covered herself with the blanket.

Perhaps if he realized how she looked for him, how he tried to save him from the claws of the opportunist that was holding him captive, Noll would see how good she was for him.

Noll would finally see her as someone important, someone…someone he won't be able to live without.

Charlotte closed her eyes.

She would find him, be it in Belgium or somewhere else. She would find him and she would bring him home.

* * *

><p>Mai walked into the bedroom.<p>

She had just finished brushing her teeth and was about ready to go to sleep when she saw Naru still sitting up on the bed and reading a book – the same book he had been reading every night.

She thought for a moment before she walked to the bed.

They were a couple now, right? Since they already knew that they really loved each other? SO…he wouldn't mind if…

Mai crawled up the bed and shyly leaned her head on his shoulder.

Would Naru push her away?

Mai felt his arm push her.

She winced and closed her eyes.

Does he hate her for being too forward?

But she felt his arm pull her closer so her head rested on the crook of his neck. He kept his arm over her waist.

Mai opened her eyes and smiled. She wrapped her arms around his torso and looked at the book he was reading.

It was in English…And it had Gene's name on the page?

"What are you reading?" Mai asked. "I know it's a book but why does it have Gene's name on the page?"

Naru smirked. She already pre-empted his sarcastic reply. "It's my thesis," he said.

Mai gasped. "You made a thesis about Gene?" she asked.

"Florence didn't tell you?" Naru asked.

Mai shook her head. "She just told me you were a geek," she said.

"Of course, idiot," Naru muttered sighing.

Mai scowled and looked up at him.

Naru turned the page of the book.

"I thought a thesis should be about something related to what you studied," Mai said.

"I studied paranormal psychology," Naru said. "Gene is a medium – an exemplary one."

Mai looked down at the book. "He let you study him?" she asked.

"It was one way of educating his fellow mediums, and making ordinary people understand that mediums are not schizophrenic patients," Naru answered.

Mai nodded.

He had a point. Not everyone believed in ghosts so possessed people were usually believed to be clinically insane.

"Did Gene teach you anything when you saw him in your dreams?" Naru asked.

Mai thought for a moment. "Yes," she said. "He taught me how to how to speak English."

Naru smirked.

Was that why she was so fluent with English now?

"He also taught me how to manipulate my dreams," Mai said.

Naru stiffened. "Manipulate your dreams..?"

Mai nodded. "I changed the backgrounds," she said. "We were in that black void. Well, it's not really a void. It had lots of dancing lights and we were floating inside it."

Naru held Mai closer.

"You said you changed the backgrounds of your dreams," Mai said.

Mai nodded. "We went to different places," she said. "I thought we were just changing the backgrounds in my dream but…I saw you in the house while Gene was with me. I didn't know he was Gene then."

Naru's eyes widened. "You…saw me?"

Mai nodded.

She remembered how it happened – how Gene told her that what he taught her could be used to locate things and people…

_Mai looked at Naru. "Can I try to focus on a person this time?"_

"_Go ahead," Naru said. _

_Mai closed her eyes and wondered what would happen if she concentrated on Naru. Would they end up in that dark place with white lights again?_

_She didn't see Naru smile sadly at her. He knew what was going to happen next. _

_Mai remembered Naru's face, his name, his arrogant personality…_

_She slowly opened her eyes. _

_She found her self standing inside her house with Naru beside her. She was about to chuckle when she heard the door open and from it walked Naru in a pair of dirty jeans and a grey shirt. _

_His eyes were narrow in irritation and he immediately walked to his luggage – pulling out clean clothes, after throwing a bag into the refrigerator. He then took his towel from a hook on the wall and went into the bathroom. _

_Mai heard the shower turn on. _

_She froze. She didn't understand what was going on. _

"_How…how could that…" Mai turned around and saw Naru on his black shirt and slacks standing behind her. He had a sad smile on his face. _

"_I'm sorry," Naru said._

"_You're…You're not Naru, are you?" she asked. _

_Naru shook his head._

"I tried to look for you," Mai said. "I was thinking it won't work since you were with me in my dream already, or if it did work I would find you sleeping. When I opened my eyes, I was in the apartment and you were there…awake. You couldn't see me. And there were two Narus in the room. Then one of them said he wasn't Naru."

Naru sighed and combed Mai's hair with his fingertips.

That was one other thing he would need to explain to his parents – that Mai met Gene months after his death, that she helped him find Gene, and that Gene had been her spirit guide.


	22. Chapter 22

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing "Where is home?" and for being patient with me _^ v ^ _I wasn't feeling well so I had to see a doctor. _

_Anyway, I really wasn't kidding when I said (in my author fb account) that I'm having a mental block due to Naru and Mai's current relationship status. I still know how the plot should generally go, but chapter wise, I couldn't think of something interesting to write for this story. _

_But I was able to make this chapter here. I just hope it doesn't seem too boring. And you don't have to worry because I personally don't like putting stories on "hiatus" mode. _

_Anyway, since the questions I read on the reviews are questions that would need unnecessary spoilers to be answered, here's this week's chapter. _

_Tell me what you think about it! _^ v ^

* * *

><p>Masako sipped the tea John served.<p>

They stayed in the dining room of John's quarters.

"So what brings you here?" John asked.

Masako shyly looked down at the cup.

"I'm…planning to go to Belgium," she said. "Do you remember Charlotte Weist?"

"Oh! She's the rumoured fiancée of Dr. Davis," John said. He suddenly felt uneasy about what he said. After all, Masako was in love with Oliver too. "Uh…I think," he said.

Masako smiled and nodded. "Yes, that's her," she said. "She hired detectives to find him. They have word that he could be in Belgium. So she invited me to go there and help out with the search."

"I see," John said. "I'm glad you have a lead on his disappearance. I hope you see him soon."

Masako sighed. "I…I honestly don't know…"

John stared confused at Masako for a moment. "Don't know..?"

Masako looked up at John. "Would you like to come with me?" she said shyly.

John smiled. "I would love to," he said. "But I can't leave immediately. I still have chores to do here."

Masako looked down and nodded.

"But I would be glad to hear from you about your search when you get there," John said.

Masako smiled. "I really don't want to go there," she said.

John looked down at his own tea. "Ms. Weist..?"

Masako nodded. "You've seen her, haven't you?" she asked, looking up at him.

John smiled at her and nodded. "Yes, I have," he said. "She was in the banquet."

Masako nodded. "How do you find her..?"

John looked away. "Well…She's…very pretty," he said. "…And intelligent, as I've heard."

Masako sighed.

John looked at her. "You're insecure," he said.

Masako looked down at her tea. "Dr. Davis doesn't like her," she said. "But he doesn't like me either."

John tried to smile. "It doesn't mean you're not beautiful, or good enough to be loved by anyone," he said.

Masako looked up at him. "I had dreams about him," she said. "We were in the beach and he…he wasn't happy there with me."

John smiled sadly. "Are you…thinking twice about looking for him?"

"I want to see him," Masako said. "I want to see him and make him understand that I really love him. Why did you ask me that?"

"Well," John said as he leaned his back on his chair. "I'm not a psychologist or a psychiatrist but I read about how some dreams reflect our unconscious thoughts."

"So…You think I'm…thinking twice about my feelings for him?"

"No, no," John said shyly. "Just…your decision on pursuing him. That's all. But I could be wrong."

Masako looked away.

John was right. She had been thinking about that for quite some time now. But she had decided to fight for her feelings, just like Charlotte! What if he chose the wrong girl? What if he really was supposed to choose Masako?

John sighed. "I can't tell you what to do," he said.

Masako nodded. "You're right," she said. "I really love him."

"I believe you," John said.

Masako looked up at John. "Do you…Do you ever…I'm sorry but I'm just curious…"

John chuckled. "You're not the only one who's asked about my love life before, don't worry," he said.

Masako smiled. "You don't…miss having one?"

John shrugged his shoulders. "I already have one," he said. "It's just a different kind."

Masako chuckled. "I envy you," she said. "You can live without...you know."

John smiled. "I'm still human, you know."

Masako smiled back.

* * *

><p>Mai sat on the couch, staring anxiously at the TV as a Japanese girl on the screen walked slowly to the closet.<p>

Mai had her knees raised to her chin, her teeth biting the tips of her fingers.

It was almost noon and she had finished doing all her chores for the day. After cooking something for lunch, she decided to watch TV while waiting for noon to come.

She luckily had the chance to catch a Japanese horror movie being played on the Japanese TV channel.

"No, no, no! Don't go there!" Mai muttered angrily as Naru walked down the stairs.

Naru froze and raised a brow at Mai from the steps of the stairs.

He thought she was scolding him for going down the stairs. But he realized she was talking to whoever was on the TV.

Naru sighed and walked to the living room. He quietly walked to the couch where Mai was too immersed at the movie scene to notice his presence.

He stood behind the couch, watching the girl in the movie innocently look for something in a bedroom. She knelt down on the bed and peeked at the space underneath it.

Mai was squealing, surely believing that a ghost would be there.

Naru slowly leaned his head next to Mai and whispered.

"Boo," Mai heard someone whisper against her ear. She screamed in fright, jumping off of the couch and stumbling down on the carpeted floor.

Naru smirked and tried to keep himself from chuckling by pretending he was coughing.

"WHAT THE HELL, NARU! DON'T DO THAT!" Mai yelled, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"Do what..?" Naru asked. "What did I do?"

"You scared me!" Mai said, standing up from the floor and patting her sore behind.

"I scared you?" Naru asked. "Now how did that happen?"

"You whispered in my ear!"

"You get scared when people whisper in your ear?" Naru asked as he took a seat on the couch.

"No," Mai said defensively as she sat down beside Naru, folding her legs so she could hug her knees. "It's just…It's already scary here!"

"Which reminds me," Naru said looking up at the chandelier above them. "Why aren't the lights on? It's dark enough outside with the rain about to fall. And last time I checked, the lights are working."

"I'm watching a movie!" Mai said. "And it's not fun to watch a movie with the lights on."

Naru looked at the TV screen. "And you're watching a horror movie."

"I like horror movies," Mai said fixing her eyes on the movie character again. The Japanese girl hadn't seen the ghost yet but the background music was still eerie, and that meant the ghost will show itself soon.

Naru raised a brow at her. "You easily get scared by people whispering 'boo' in your ear," he said.

"You didn't tell me you were here! I thought I was alone! I didn't think someone alive actually whispered into my ear," Mai said.

"So you don't get scared easily," Naru said turning to look at the TV. The Japanese girl was about to open the closet.

"No, I don't get scared easily," Mai said proudly as she watched the girl on the movie grasp the closet handle. She swallowed loudly as the eerie background music rang louder.

Naru smirked. "Really..?"

The Japanese girl in the movie opened the closet and inside she saw a white woman glaring coldly at her. The woman's hair was strewn all over her face. Her eyes had deep black shades on its lower lids. Blood streamed down the side of the woman's grey lips.

And the woman's neck…seemed dislocated – broken.

Mai screamed, at the same time the girl on the movie did. She closed her eyes and buried her face into Naru's arm.

Naru sighed. "You're really not afraid of ghosts," he said.

"Shut up! She was really scary!" Mai defended, still holding on to the sleeve of Naru's shirt.

Naru just stared at her. "Can I change the channel then?"

"NO! I'm watching the movie," Mai said frowning at Naru.

"Go watch it then," Naru said.

Mai turned to look at the TV and saw the ghastly woman stranggling the girl. The woman's mouth was open – her teeth black and bloody.

Mai shrieked and hid her face behind Naru's arm.

Naru rolled his eyes. "If you're too scared to watch it, don't watch it," he said.

"But I haven't watched this movie yet!" Mai said.

"You won't be able to watch it behind my arm anyway," Naru said.

"I want to watch it," Mai mumbled. She then remembered something. "Hey Naru, is it true you work as a ghost hunter?"

Naru stared at her. "Why do you ask?"

Mai shrugged her shoulders. "I was just curious," she said. "So you've seen a real ghost?"

"Haven't you seen one too?" Naru asked.

Mai looked away.

Right…That girl in the Norringbent mansion.

"But you've seen a lot of them too, right? Do they all look like the ones you see in the movies?" Mai asked.

"Why are you asking me this?" Naru asked.

"Can't I ask you those questions?" Mai asked back.

Naru sighed and pulled Mai on to his lap. "You don't even like seeing ghosts in movies," he said. "And you want to know more about real ghosts?"

"I was just surprised back there!" Mai said frowing at Naru. "I didn't know she would be there!"

"Really?" Naru asked. "I thought the background music made it obvious enough."

"Can't you just humor me in this particular situation?" Mai asked.

"Well why didn't you say so?" Naru said smiling cheerfully at her.

Mai felt chills run up her spine. "Don't do that! You look scarier than that ghost! It's like you're planning something…horrible!"

Naru smirked and held her closer. "Can I turn the lights on now? You've already scared youself enough for today."

"The movie's still not finished," Mai said turning to the movie screen. The scene had changed, and it was showing a detective visiting an apartment.

"Childish," Naru muttered.

"Neh Naru," Mai said. "Iris said there's this ghost tour here in Amsterdam. Do you know about that?"

"You mean the Amsterdam Ghostwalk," Naru said holding Mai close against his chest.

"Ah! You know about it! How much does it cost?"

Naru raised a brow at her. "Scaring your self with a horror movie isn't enough?"

Mai frowned. "But Iris said it's all just ghost stories," she said. "Wait! It's all true then, isn't it? That's why you don't want to do it!"

Naru rolled his eyes. "I've done that walk twice," he said. "It's all just stories."

"Then it's alright if I try it out!" Mai said.

Naru glared at Mai. "Why do you want to do this, exactly?"

"I want to try it out," Mai said. "So how much is it?"

Naru sighed. "I'll see if we can book a tour," he said.

"**We**..? But you said you've done the tour twice already," Mai said. "You want to do the tour again?"

Naru smiled widely at her. "Do you have a problem with that?" he asked slowly and cheerfully.

Mai stiffened, feeling the chills run up her spine again. "Uh..N-no, of course there's no problem. I would love to have the tour with you."

"Good," Naru said. "Now I'm turning the TV off."

"NO! I'm still watching the movie!"

"Mai."

"But Naru..!"

"Fine."

Mai shrieked. The ghost on the movie took another victim. This time, she pounced on the detective - the bloody drool on her mouth dripping down on the man's horrified face.

And this time, Mai had her face buried against Naru's chest.

Naru sighed. Hopefully no ghost shows up in their Amsterdam Ghostwalk.


	23. Chapter 23

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing "Where is home?" ^ v ^ _

_Thanks, _**Fairyvixenmaide**n_! Hope all is well with you too!_

_That's funny, _**JunShang88.** ^ v ^_ Cool way to enjoy horror movies!_

_Anyway, here's this week's chapter. Think you can guess how things are going to go based on this chapter?_

* * *

><p>Lin checked the website for booking train tickets to Belgium on his office desktop computer.<p>

He had to agree that Baehler's new proposition for their search for Noll was good.

Baehler had just left his office and Lin couldn't help but think about how he was going to go on with the new plan.

"Well I don't think checking the embassy in Belgium will take that long," he remembered Baehler say as they discussed their itinerary for the following week. "So I think, since there is a great possibility that the doctor is in Netherlands and we are to find him soon, it would be good if one of us goes straight to the Netherlands while one of us is in Belgium. I just think it would save us more time."

Lin sighed as he booked one trip to Belgium, and another to Amsterdam.

Since Baehler was the one who had connections in the embassy, the two of them agreed that the detective would go to Belgium and Lin will proceed to Amsterdam.

The only problem Lin had with the idea was the fact that he had no idea where Noll could be. Well, the address that Baehler gave him – the one where Oswald Mortimer's property in Amsterdam was located – was useful, but not useful enough since this was Oliver Davis who they were looking for.

Noll could have rented another house or apartment for all they knew. And the Mortimer property could just be a false lead.

Or he wouldn't be in Amsterdam at all.

Madoka walked into Lin's office with a box of files in her arms. "A few weeks and we have a mountain of reports already," she irately muttered. She placed the box on Lin's table. "I know it's our job to check these but seriously! Why did we assign back up people, if they wouldn't be doing our jobs while we're away?"

Lin looked up and smirked. "Calm down," he said. "I'm sure Winifred had a good reason for not taking over your tasks."

Madoka frowned. "She better do! I'm not going to let her do this to me again on my wedding day, and most especially **not** in my honeymoon leave!"

Lin sighed, trying hard not to laugh. "I can talk to her for you," he said.

Madoka shook her head. "I can do it," she said. "Besides, she's not here in the office today anyway. She won't be in until tomorrow." She then rolled her eyes. "Can you take care of these for me though? I know you need to prepare for your trip and all, but I really need a hand here."

"Sure," Lin said. "Just put it here on my table. I'll take them back to your office once I'm done with them."

Madoka smiled and put the box down. "And **that** is why I said 'yes' to your wedding proposal," she said before she leaned her head closer to Lin and kissed his lips.

Lin kissed her back and sighed disappointedly when she leaned away and turned away to leave.

"Wait," Lin said.

Madoka looked back at him, eye brows raised and a smile on her lips. "Yes, dear..?"

"Have you…been with Noll and Gene in the Netherlands before?" he asked.

Madoka looked up at the ceiling in thought. "Hmm," she said. "I…have. Yes, I have. We went to Amsterdam back then." She looked at Lin again. "Why?"

"I was just thinking about the possible places where Noll could be if he **is **hiding in Amsterdam," Lin said.

Madoka walked to Lin's table. "Well that's going to be difficult since Martin and Luella doesn't have a property there," she said. "And you don't think Noll would have bought himself a house using him and Gene's money, right?"

Lin nodded.

Lin was sure that whatever Noll was doing wasn't supposed to be permanent. And since Noll and Taniyama's documents were all falsified, it was most unlikely that they would stay in any country other than Japan or UK for good.

Noll would want them to live normal lives. He might even want them to get married formally, if he was really serious about their relationship, which Lin believed was true.

So Noll wouldn't buy a house in Amsterdam…Not when they weren't planning on permanently settling there and when settling there for good meant they would need to hide from anyone who might get them into trouble with the embassy.

"Do you recall any particular place where Noll liked in your stay in Amsterdam?" Lin asked.

Madoka thought again. "Not really," she said. "I can recall the particular place Noll hated – the hotel. He and Gene were thirteen then and they hated being confined in the hotel while we handled the case. Oh! Oh! I remember he and Gene loved that Amsterdam Ghostwalk! Gene especially loved the destinations where the Ghostwalk gave us a tour of. I heard Noll even took another Ghostwalk last time he went to Amsterdam. Other than that…I'm afraid I don't know any other place Noll liked."

Lin nodded. "Thank you," he said.

Madoka sighed. "I wasn't of any help, was I?"

"Oh no," Lin said smiling. "You helped me a lot. That information on the Ghostwalk just helped me narrow down the places I'll check in Amsterdam. Does that Ghostwalk still have a website online?"

Madoka smiled. "Yup," she said. "I checked it when we were planning for our honeymoon."

Lin raised his brows at Madoka. "I thought we're going to avoid anything job-related or paranormal activity-related in our honeymoon," he said.

Madoka shrugged her shoulders. "I just figured it would be fun if we hear ghost stories and not investigate on them for once," she said. "You know..? Like we're just an average couple who have no connection whatsoever with SPR? And we'll just listen to the stories, scare ourselves a little…"

Lin smirked. "So we're going to visit Amsterdam in our honeymoon?"

Madoka sighed. "I'm not sure," she said. "I think it's interesting but would you want to go to Amsterdam?"

Lin smiled. "I'll go where my bride goes," he said.

Madoka smiled. "I hate you," she said. "You make me want to kiss you again."

Lin smirked. "That was the point," he said.

Madoka chuckled and leaned in to kiss Lin. Lin kissed her back, holding her jaw to keep her in place until he allowed her to lean away.

Madoka sighed afterwards. "Are you sure I can't follow you in Belgium?" she asked. "I can be a very good sleuth."

"I believe you," Lin said. "But I won't be in Belguim next week. Baehler and I decided to split up so we could cover more ground in the search. I'll be in Amsterdam next week."

"Oh," Madoka said. "Sure you won't need me there? I'm a good tour guide!"

Lin chuckled. "I'll miss you a lot too," he said. "I'll call you when I can't take the solitude anymore."

Madoka smiled. "Well then, don't be too patient with your solitude there," she said winking at Lin before she turned away and left his office.

Lin sighed.

Madoka had definitely changed his life. He suddenly wondered if that was how Naru saw Mai.

* * *

><p>"Next week would be good," Naru said holding the phone receiver against his ear.<p>

He was in the office half sitting on his table with his notebook computer's screen displaying the website for the Amsterdam Ghostwalk.

"Alright," he said after a moment of listening to the person on the other line.

"Naru," Mai called from the doorway of the office.

Naru looked up and saw her with a tray in hand – his steamy cup of tea sitting on it.

He stood up and watched Mai place the tea on his office table.

"Alright, thank you," Naru told the person on the other line before he ended the call.

Mai smirked as Naru put the receiver down.

Naru raised a brow at her. "What..?"

Mai shrugged her shoulders. "I just realized you know how to say 'thank you' after all," she said.

Naru just stared at her. He then sipped his tea. "What made you think I didn't know how to do so in the first place?" he asked.

Mai leaned on his office table. "Well, you don't say 'thank you' to me when I give you tea," she said.

"Not telling you 'thank you' doesn't mean I don't tell 'thank you' to everyone else," Naru said walking to his chair.

Mai frowned. "Hey! You mean you don't say 'thank you' to me on purpose?" she asked. "Am I not worth thanking?"

"You **are**..?" Naru asked, raising a brow at her.

Mai scowled. "Why won't I be? I don't just wave a magic wand to prepare your tea! And even if I did, I still put quite an effort to make it, not to mention I spent some of my very precious time in preparing it."

Naru looked at his computer screen, nodding.

Mai watched him.

Naru began typing on his laptop.

Mai frowned.

He still wasn't planning on thanking her.

She rolled her eyes and turned away.

"We'll have that Ghostwalk next week," Naru said. "It's two nights. We'll be spending the night in one of their featured haunted houses."

Mai stiffened and turned to Naru. "Really..? A-are there really ghosts there?" she asked.

Naru looked up at her. "Is Taniyama Mai thinking of backing out?" he said. "It's okay, really. I understand how **scary** it could be for you."

Mai frowned. "I'm not backing out!" she said. "For your information, my friends and I back in high school shared ghost stories in the dark media room. We did ghost hunting there too! That was way before I started working after class."

Naru raised a brow at her. "You mean you and your friends, taunted ghosts," he said. "You shared ghost stories hoping you'd get to see a real ghost apparition."

Mai looked away. "It didn't scare me," she said.

Naru sighed. "Mai, ghosts aren't just something you can play with," he said.

Mai looked down at her feet. "I know that," she said remembering her experience in the Norringbent mansion. "Neh, Naru..?"

Naru watched her walk shyly to his table.

"When you hunt ghosts, do you...Do you…exorcise them..?" Mai asked.

"We investigate reports of paranormal activity," Naru said. "Why are you asking me these kinds of questions?"

Mai shook her head and smiled at him. "I just wanted to know." She then turned away and walked out of the office.

Naru looked down at his computer.

Gene loved the Amsterdam Ghostwalk because he saw so many things in the trip. No, it wasn't the ghosts.

It was the memories…the stories, that though mostly horrifying was a change from the usual stories Gene saw in the cases that SPR did investigations on.

Naru turned to look at his reflection onn the glass window.

He hadn't seen Gene since his last conversation with him in the loo.

Had he moved on?


	24. Chapter 24

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing 'Where is home?'_

_So I read about the complaints on how short last chapter was, and I'm terribly sorry I didn't leave an author's note about it. _

_As I've posted on my fb account, I've decided to post chapters with less than 2k words again for 'Where is home?'. Sorry, I'm really busy again and I just can't get back to posting more than 2k words. (Heck! I can't even post any chapter with 2k words anymore)._

_Anyway, a reader asked me if I'm going to revise my Ghost Hunt fanfic and the answer, in case anyone else there is wondering, is yes (because I understand how messy my chapters were with all those grammar errors, misspelled words, and missing texts ^ v ^). But I'm not sure if I'm going to upload the revised story here on (because it's going to be one painstaking activity). _

_I'm thinking of just turning the stories into ebooks (for my own pleasure). One reader asked for a copy of the ebooks once I'm done with it so I'm thinking of making the finished ebooks available for anyone to download (again, I'll need to make those ebooks first _^ v *_). _

_In line with this, I'll be needing a hand in making the covers for 'Are you happy?' and 'Where is home?' (since 'Key' has a cover already. But in case you'd like to make one for 'Key' too, 'coz someone asked me about it, just give me a heads up and we'll see what we can do). __So...if you have some spare time and you'd like to help out, do send me a message about it. I'll post the cover you make here on FFnet for all the readers to see. I'll also put a note about your artwork on the story descriptions. _

_Thank you all so much in advance! _^ v ^_ And here is this week's chapter. Please read and review! _

* * *

><p>"How are you?" Madoka asked as she sat on her office with her mobile phone against her ear.<p>

"I'm in Amsterdam now," Lin answered from the other line. "I'm just setting my things in the hotel. I'll start looking for Noll once I'm done."

"Aww," Madoka said, frowning at her open laptop screen. She had been typing an email for the past five minutes.

After typing a paragraph or so, she would end up deleting everything she typed.

She couldn't quite find a way to say what she wanted to say.

"Still not too lonely enough?" she asked Madoka.

"Nope," Lin said. Madoka could swear he was smirking. "Too early for that, I think."

Madoka sighed. "Call me if you need me," she said. "And don't force yourself. You just got off from a 4-hour-and-16-minute trip! Get some sleep or drink some tea first!"

Lin chuckled. "Four hours and sixteen minutes," he said. "You're keeping tabs on my trip. Still not too lonely enough?"

"Ha-ha," Madoka said. "Luckily Brenan is here. He's keeping me company. And hey! He just invited me to dinner!"

"Madoka," Lin said slowly.

Madoka chuckled. "See? I'm not lonely."

"Please, not Brenan," Lin said. "Noll wouldn't like it either."

"Aww, jealous..?" Madoka said. "Don't worry. I didn't say I accepted his invitation, right?"

Lin sighed. "Just be careful while I'm away," he said. "You know how Brenan is."

"Yes, daddy," Madoka said.

"And about that rest you want me to take, I'm not that sleepy yet," Lin said. "And I'm just planning to check those destinations included in the Ghostwalk. I'll check Mortimer's house tomorrow."

"Oh," Madoka said. "In that case, okay. Just don't tire yourself too much there."

"Yes, mum," Lin said.

Madoka chuckled. "Any updates on Baehler?"

"He's still in the embassy," Lin said. "I'll call him later."

"Alright," Madoka said. "Well I'll let you do what you have to do now."

"I'll call you later," Lin said.

Madoka smiled. "I'll be waiting! Bye bye!"

"Bye," she heard Lin say before a click ended the call.

Madoka took a deep breath and sighed. "Okay, now what to write," she muttered. She positioned her fingers on the keyboard and began typing.

"Noll, Lin is in Amsterdam. Luella and I are on your side. Just want to let you know, in case you're somewhere in Amsterdam, that Lin is planning to go on a Ghostwalk today," read the email she was composing.

* * *

><p>"It's ready," Naru heard Yasuhara say from the other end of the line.<p>

It had been a week. And it was only right that he called Yasuhara from his mobile phone to check on how things were going in Japan.

"Good," Naru said half sitting on his desk. "I'll email you the details tomorrow."

"Roger that!" Yasuhara answered cheerfully.

"Neh, Naru..!" Naru heard Mai's voice echo from the hall outside the office.

Yasuhara chuckled. "Any developments in your relationship status?" he asked.

"We're not single," Naru answered, eyeing the open door and waiting to see Mai pass by it.

"Really..? CONGRATULATIONS! Ayako and Bou-san will be pissed but to hell with that. Are you guys going to have a baby soon?" Yasuhara asked.

Naru scowled.

Why does everyone think he needs to impregnate someone for that someone to be romantically involved with him? Sure he's not your average boy next door but he's Oliver Davis! And what Oliver Davis wants, he gets, not just by knocking up Mai!

"Naru," Mai said as she peeked at the door.

"Later," Naru said before he ended the call. He stood up and watched Mai walk into the room.

"You didn't have to end the call just because you saw me," she said frowning. "If it's important-"

"It's not important," Naru said. "There was nothing else to talk about."

Mai sighed and looked down at her outfit. "Would this be appropriate for today?" she asked.

Naru looked down at her loose beige, checkered overcoat. It flaunted the collar of her white turtleneck shirt underneath.

Mai turned slightly, showing the minute flower design of the black leather boots Florence gave her for her first Christmas in London.

Naru nodded, remembering he should also get dressed for the day – the day of their Amsterdam Ghostwalk.

Mai smiled. "I'll go get our things!" she said excitedly before she turned to the door.

Naru smirked and slipped his mobile phone in his pocket. He checked his open laptop for any sign of new email message, and then walked out of the room seeing nothing there.

Just as Naru locked the door behind him, a message flashed on the screen.

"Lin is in Amsterdam," it said on the subject. It had Madoka's name as the sender of the email.

* * *

><p>Lin walked out of Bellevue Hotel, hands tucked cosily in his pocket. It was a cold and chilly day in Amsterdam. Lin had heard about how a snow storm hit the place and decided to bring enough winter clothes in case it snowed while he was there.<p>

He called a cab.

He was planning on booking himself a Ghostwalk session, but he decided he could just check the destinations on his own. A session of the trip was costly too, though he had more than enough for his stay in Amsterdam.

"Om straat Rokin te behagen," he told the driver. He wasn't as well versed as Naru in Dutch but surely he got the street right. "De Tara?"

"Ah! Amsterdam Ghostwalk?" the driver said in a thick Dutch accent.

"Ja," Lin answered.

"Het probleem," the driver said cheerfully before he drove the cab away from the hotel.

* * *

><p>Mai excitedly looked out at the window of the cab she rode with Naru.<p>

They passed through several streets that all looked alike. She couldn't help but wonder if all the streets in Europe were supposed to look that way. England also had those kinds of confusing streets.

The cab stopped in front of a bar – The Tara.

Naru reached out and paid the driver. "This is our stop," he told Mai who was just watching him wait for his change."

"Oh! Sorry," she said shyly before she opened the door and stepped out of the cab.

Naru followed her afterwards.

Mai looked up at the bar. It looked like the bars she saw in England.

"This is the meeting place?" she asked Naru, thinking twice at entering the bar.

Bars, based on her visits to the bars Edmund worked in back in England, were full of liquor and giant Caucasian alcohol drinkers.

Naru put his hand inside his dark grey overcoat's pocket. "Yes," he answered as his free hand took Mai's cold hand in his own. He pulled out a beige newsboy cap from his pocket and fixed it atop Mai's head.

Mai's stared surprised at Naru. "W-What's that?"

"A hat," Naru said pulling her to the bar.

"I know that," Mai said. "But why do I have one?"

"You don't want it?" Naru asked, stopping and looking back at her.

"N-no, that's not it," Mai said shyly. "I just…When did you get this?"

"Does it matter?" Naru asked.

Mai sighed. That once again meant, "I bought it for you. End of discussion." She smiled though, seeing the grey newsboy cap she bought for him placed fashionably atop his own head.

"We match!" she said excitedly.

Naru sighed and began walking to the bar again. Mai squeezed his hand and walked cheerfully beside him.

* * *

><p>Lin's cab stopped in front of The Tara.<p>

He looked up at the bar for a moment before he paid the driver and walked out of the cab.

Somehow, he felt like he would see Noll again…very soon.

Lin stared at the door of the pub for a moment again before he sighed and walked into the bar.

…The Tara – a bar that had most of its furniture salvaged from an old Catholic Church.

Lin wondered if there was something there that could miraculously answer his prayers and give him Noll's exact location.


	25. Chapter 25

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing the previous chapter, and for being **really** patient with me. _

_I just have tons of work to do for this week. __I'll try to answer the queries/comments and discuss other updates (like on the cover) on the chapter next week. _

__I posted another story on BookRix (while I was writing the next chapters for my ffics. I needed something to take some of the stress away). _I didn't do it for a contest this time, but I would really appreciate if you'd read and give comments about it. Just search for 'Callele Lyvance' on BookRix, and check the second ebook under the account. (Please leave reviews/flames on the webpage. It's easier to read them there _* v *_ )___

_Anyway, here's this week's chapter. Tell me what you think a__bout it too! _^ v ^

* * *

><p>Mai sat down beside Noll in one of the tables where the other tourists attending the Ghost Walk session were seated, her hand still in his.<p>

Gijs Aakster, their 35-year-old tour guide was telling them about The Tara's furiniture – how most of them were rescued from an old Catholic church. The tourists were gasping and nodding as he pointed to the alcoves holding flasks, jars, and bottles of wine behind the bar counter and told them they were actually made of niches that were used to illustrate what Catholics called "Station of the Cross."

Mai leaned closer to Naru. "Neh, Naru," she said. "That Station of the Cross he's talking about. Is that the one with those pictures of a crucified man?"

"Yes," Naru answered. "The Station of the Cross depicts the events in Jesus Christ's crucifixion, starting with him carrying the cross to him being crucified."

Mai nodded, slowly leaning away to pay close attention to Gijs' tales and plans for their trip. Before leaving, they all decided to order something to eat.

Mai and Naru weren't that hungry so Naru ordered The Tara's version of Fish and Chips.

* * *

><p>Lin munched on his ravioli as he listened to the tour guide from his seat in the bar counter.<p>

He didn't expect to see a group of tourists attending a Ghost Walk session that day. Perhaps that was why the cab driver asked him about attending an Amsterdam Ghost Walk – he might have had some of the tourists in the pub as passengers earlier in the day.

Lin looked up to catch a glimpse at the tour guide.

Gijs was quite articulate with English. The only thing that made him look his age was his pair of glasses.

Lin sipped his beer and sighed.

...Nothing like a good pale lager to warm you up in a cold day. Sure he was a monk...in a way but surely, sipping beer once a year wasn't that bad for him.

"No," Lin heard one of the tourists say.

He froze at the resemblance of the voice to the voice of someone he knew well...Heck! Even the tone matched!

"No," the voice said. "I told you. I'm not a psychic."

Lin turned his head to the group of tourists who were then standing up from their seats and walking out to the door with Gijs to continue their Ghost Walk.

There were middle-aged tourists clad in coats made of leather and wool. There were a few twenty-year olds but those he saw were blondes.

Could Noll and Taniyama Mai be in the group of tourists? Could they be having the Ghost Walk at that moment?

Or was Lin just being paranoid?

* * *

><p>Mai frowned. "Can't you tell me if Gene saw anything when you had the Ghost Walk?" she asked, squeazing Naru's hand as they walked down the street with the other tourists.<p>

They were one of the few people who were leading the group away from the pub. Mai was so excited that when Gijs said it was time to go, she literally jumped up from her seat and dragged Naru out the door following the younger tourists in the group.

"That would defeat the purpose of us attending the Ghost Walk," Naru said.

Mai sighed and leaned her head on Naru's shoulder.

Gijs told them they were visiting a haunted hotel, an extremely old theatre, a remnant of Amsterdam's city walls, a tower, a graveyard, and other haunted sites in the city.

Mai had wondered if they would really see some ghosts in their trip. All those ghost stories seemed interesting and scary, since they were real.

She suddenly remembered her experience in the Norringbent mansion.

Would she be seeing dead girls in their trip too?

Mai felt Naru squeeze her hand. She looked up at him and saw his blue eyes calmly looking at her.

"It's not that scary," he said.

Mai stared surprised at Naru. "Neh, do you read minds now?" she asked.

Naru raised a brow at her.

Mai chuckled and shook her head. "Of course it's not going to be that scary," she said. "You're with me!"

Naru smirked. "Idiot," he said.

"Jerk," Mai said.

"I've sent Noll an email," Madoka whispered sitting across Luella in the office.

* * *

><p>They were packing up for the day. They could hear Martin checking last minute status reports from the people in the office.<p>

"I just don't know if he received it," Madoka said. "I mean, if he read it."

Luella nodded. "You know, I have a feeling the boys are right this time," she said. "I don't know but I just feel like Noll is there...somewhere there in Amsterdam."

Madoka smiled. "That's mother's instinct," she said. "You are his mother after all."

Luella smiled.

It was always an honor to be called Noll and Gene's mother, even though she didn't give birth to them.

"Do you think he would hate me if I meet him in Amsterdam?" she asked shly at Madoka.

"No," Madoka said. "I don't believe so. He knows you're on **his** side. He'll understand if he sees you there. "

Luella sighed. "I hope so," she said. "I know he's all grown up but, I still miss having him around."

Madoka chuckled. "So do you think it's time we pay him a visit?"

Luella smiled. "We'll first need to keep those hounds away," she said nodding toward the door. They could hear Martin's low voice from the other side of the room.

Madoka laughed. "Aye!"

* * *

><p>Lin decided to subtly follow the group of tourists, partly because he wanted to hear the stories about the places included in the Ghost Walk. And partly because he had that nagging feeling that Noll was just around the corner - that following the group would lead him to Noll.<p>

But of course it would be too obvious and awkward if he kept too close to the group so he kept a ten-yard distance from the group, following them only when they moved to a different location and subtly listening to the stories told by Gijs about their destinations.

Lin looked up at the gate of the graveyard near Zuiderkerk.

Gijs was telling the tourists about the hangings that had been done in old Amsterdam. He was pointing up at the gate, noting the two skulls placed there that were believed to belong to two criminals who had been hanged for the crime they committed.

Lin suddenly wondered if Gene had visions when he joined the Ghost Walk tour. He frequently saw visions in the cases he and Noll took charge off.

Could he have sensed spirits in those 'haunted' structures? Could he have seen Anne Frank through the window of the apartment she and her family sought refurge from during the time of the Holocaust? Could he have seen the entities that spooked the employees working in the old tower that was turned into a cafe?

Lin sighed.

Was there even any truth to those tales? Was there any possibility that Noll was really hiding there in Amsterdam with Taniyama?

Lin shook his head.

He had been following the group for quite a while. None of its members seemed familiar to him.

Well, he hasn't exactly seen all of them. There were six other members that he didn't see well. But they all spoke in English.

If Taniyama was there with Noll, they would be talking in Japanese.

...Unless, they were being careful...which was unlikely since they didn't know- Do they know he's in Amsterdam?

The group began applauding and thanking Gijs for the tour.

Lin smiled. Gijs **was** a good tour guide.

Each member of the group shook hands with Gijs before they went on their way home. Some patted him in the back. Some chatted with him a little before saying good bye.

And one of them bowed in thanks.

Lin froze.

The one who bowed was a young woman whose brown hair was faintly hidden underneath a beige newsboy cap. She wore a cheerful smile on her face.

Her head only reached Gij's shoulder. But the young man beside her, clothed in grey, was as tall as Gijs.

His fingers were locked with the young woman's, and as he turned to smile at Gijs, Lin saw his face - framed with black hair, covered by a grey newsboy cap.

"Noll..?"


	26. Chapter 26

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing 'Where is home?'_

_Nope, _**zerocchi_. _**_I've been planning to read Fairy Tale because my friends say it's good, but I haven't found the time to do so yet. _

_Glad you finally read this sequel, _**Nyoon.**_ Not to spoil anyone's fun here, but I guess I should tell everyone (at least those who read the ANs here _^ v ^)_ now that those previews I give doesn't exactly contain the start and end of the sequel it's from. It's just like what you usually read at the back of books in bookstores, only it's made to look like a movie trailer...or something like that. _

_So those sneak peaks are really just sneak peaks. They don't contain the end. They usually just contain the conflict or climax of the stories. _* v *_ I'm not telling you now just how this story will end though. _

_Anyway, here's this week's chapter. Do tell me what you think about it! _^ v ^

* * *

><p>Lin watched Noll and Mai walk to the street to ride a cab.<p>

He still couldn't believe that he actually saw them...in Amsterdam...ON A GHOST WALK ...WHEN HE WASN'T EVEN TRYING TO LOOK FOR THEM!

It took him a moment to realize that they were getting away. When he did, he quickly ran to them. But he was stopped by a crowd of teenagers having their own tour of the remnants of the city wall.

Lin cursed as he trudged through the crowd.

What were they in, exactly? A crowd that big...with around thirty loud people...a field trip? YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING!

Lin kept his eyes on the couple he was tasked to find.

Taniyama was smiling widely, perhaps annoying the frowning Noll beside her. She was swinging their entwined hands as they waited on a line for a cab.

Lin got out of the crowd but he was still too far from them – forty or so bloody steps away! The couple was already about to ride a cab.

HECK! Noll had already opened the door and Taniyama was getting in the cab!

"NOLL!" Lin called as he ran down the brick pavement

* * *

><p>Noll stiffened. He thought someone called his name.<p>

He looked up and around the area. More tourists were crowding the place. A lot of them had their own tour guides with them. The street lights were already lit up.

"Naru," Mai called as she sat at the back seat of the cab. "Is something wrong?"

Naru looked down at her and shook his head. "It's nothing," he said as he sat down beside her and closed the door.

* * *

><p>"NOLL!" Lin called again as he reached the line of cabs and watched Noll and Taniyama's cab drive away.<p>

He stood panting on the street, eyes on the cab.

Was it really them?

* * *

><p>Naru wrapped his arm around Mai's waist and pulled her closer. Mai had told the driver where to go.<p>

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Naru," he heard Mai softly say.

He looked down at her and saw anxiety on her face.

"Are you alright? What's wrong?" she asked.

Naru smirked. He patted Mai's head. "How was the trip? Seen any ghosts?"

Mai frowned. "I didn't see anything," she said. "But I liked the trip."

Naru nodded. "Good."

Mai sighed and buried her head on his chest. "Is it something related to what you're not telling me?"

Naru froze for a moment. Women were indeed perceptive. "Do you hate me now?"

Mai shook his head. "I'm worried about you," she said. "It's hurting you."

Naru sighed and placed a kiss on the top of her head. "It's not," he said. "I'm okay. Just trust me."

"I do," Mai said frowing. "I still do."

Naru smiled and closed his eyes.

Surely it was all his conscience kicking him in the gut – his head imagining things. Lin couldn't possibly be there in Amsterdam. Takumi told them only about the train tickets to Belgium. Lin would be in Belgium, perhaps with their family friend Baehler.

There was no way they could think Noll was in Amsterdam...not that quickly.

...Unless...No.

He and Mortimer had already made sure the house couldn't be traced. They've set up all the papers. The house was named after Mortimer's deceased pet dog after Norringbent purchased it. It was transferred to the name of Noll and Gene's secret pet dog in the orphanage.

So for Lin to be there so...early was...

Noll raised his head and turned to look at the window behind them.

He saw the night swallow the lively lit street, the cabs and cars driving behind them, and the people chatting and walking around in an evening tour.

Naru smirked.

Yes. He was just imagining things.

Then his eyes fixed themselves on the shade were people lined up to ride cabs. He saw a tall man rushing to get a cab – his coat a familiar shade of light brown, and his hair...the black long fringe that covered half of his face...

Naru froze.

...Lin...Koujo Lin...was there...**in Amsterdam.**

He turned his head away and held wrapped his free hand around Mai, holding her closer.

* * *

><p>Lin kept his eyes on the road ahead. He ordered the cab driver to follow the cab that Noll took.<p>

Then the snow started to fall and heavy traffic befell the road.

"Het spijt me," the cab driver said sadly. "Maar ik kan niet meer zien van de cabine."

Lin gave an exasperated sigh and nodded. He didn't quite understand everything that the driver said but he completely understood the "Het spijt me."

After driving straight and turning left and right on several intersections, they lost sight of Noll's cab. They had lost Noll and Taniyama.

"Het is goed," Lin said. "Kun je me naar Hotel Bellevue?"

"Ja, meneer," the driver answered.

Lin leaned back on the passenger seat and pulled out his mobile phone from his pocket. He pressed '1' and pressed the call button before he held it against his ear.

"Miss me already?" he heard Madoka's perky voice say from the other line.

"Yes, and more," he said.

"Okay...What's...more..?" Madoka asked anxiously.

"Noll isn't in Belgium."

"Baehler confirmed it?!"

"No," Lin said. He took a deep breath.

* * *

><p>"I saw him and Taniyama here in Amsterdam," Madoka heard Lin say from the other line as she held the phone close to her ear. She was standing in Luella's office, ready to walk out the door when Lin said he had confirmed that Noll wasn't in Belgium.<p>

She froze at the information and looked at Luella, who was already puzzled at Madoka's expression.

"What is it, dear?" Luella asked, standing up from her office chair.

"Okay," Madoka said in response to Lin's report on his next move. "I see. I'll tell them. Take care. Love you."

Then Madoka ended the call.

"Lin saw Noll and Mai in Amsterdam," Madoka said.

Luella gasped. "Did...Did he..?"

"No," Madoka said. "He hasn't told the professor about it yet. I promised to report it though."

Luella sat down on her chair. "Did Noll see Lin?" she asked.

"No," Madoka answered. "Lin said Noll had ridden a cab before he got to where they were."

Luella nodded. "When can we leave for Amsterdam?"

* * *

><p>Naru checked his emails the minute they got home. Mai had proceeded to the kitchen to cook dinner after changing her clothes.<p>

Naru sighed in relief as he saw emails from Yasuhara saying that the papers he needed were done. Much of the emails he received were for his part time job – new dissertations to review, thank you emails from writers, and payment confirmations.

If there was a change on the plans of his father's search party, Takumi or John would have informed him about it. After all, his family was still in touch with Takumi and Masako and John had been emailing him about his conversations with Masako about the search.

If Lin was indeed there in Amsterdam, he would know. There was no email so...

Then he saw a name in his inbox that shouldn't be there – Madoka's.

He stiffened.

The email came just before he walked out of the house with Mai. And the subject read, "Lin is in Amsterdam."

Naru cursed and slapped his forehead.

He really should have bought that new slim-type smartphone.

* * *

><p>"I'm fine," Masako said, holding her phone against her ear.<p>

She was on the phone with John. She liked speaking to him about their search for Noll for some reason, so she regularly conversed with him on the phone to talk about it.

There weren't much they could talk about usually since their search hadn't given them anything about Oliver's whereabouts. But John always somehow found things he could talk to her about that cheered her up. And she liked it. At least, she didn't feel as stressed as she was when she was with Charlotte.

"Yes," Masako said chuckling at a statement John said. "That's true!"

Then her bedroom door slammed open.

Masako gasped in shock. She looked at the door and saw Charlotte anxiously standing there.

"What is it? What happened?" Masako heard John asked. He was worried.

"Charlotte," Masako said.

"They found Noll," Charlotte said. "The professor called me. Pack your bags."

"What..? Where..?"

"Amsterdam," Charlotte answered. "And we're going to Amsterdam tonight!"

"Hara-san, what's going on?" Masako heard John ask.

"Y-yes," Masako told Charlotte. "I'll be down in a minute."

Charlotte nodded and ran away to her own room.

"John-san," Masako shakily said as she shut the door. "Professor Davis said they found Oliver in Amsterdam."

* * *

><p>John stiffened. "T-That's...That's great news!" he said. Then he listened as Masako told him about their plan of going to Amsterdam that night. John did his best to cheerily tell her he would call her again once they were in Amsterdam.<p>

"Take care," he said before he ended the call.

He was in his bedroom, sitting in front of his study table.

John thought for a moment before he dialled Yasuhara's number. Yasuhara's bar should already be open by then, or he at least should be awake.

"Brown-san!" Yasuhara perkily greeted.

"Yasuhara-san," John greeted back. "The place where Noll and Mai-san are...Is it Amsterdam?"


	27. Chapter 27

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing 'Where is home?' _^ v ^

_Here's this week's chapter. Tell me what you think about it!_

* * *

><p>Lin stepped out of the cab.<p>

It was ten in the morning and he rode a cab to the outskirts of Amsterdam – a slip of paper containing the address of a Norringbent or Mortimer property in hand. The place was just as Baehler described, full of trees, grass, and blue skies.

It was the perfect place for Noll to hide.

He looked up at the old steel gates standing at the side of the road. Beyond it was a brick path that led to an old house.

Lin took a deep breath. He looked at the doorbell at the side of the gate.

* * *

><p>"Are you planning to go anywhere today?" Naru asked leaning on the counter top as Mai washed the dishes in the kitchen.<p>

They had just finished eating breakfast and Mai beat Naru to the sink.

Mai thought for a moment. "I'm seeing Iris again later," she said, wiping the stain of bacon oil on a plate.

Naru nodded and looked at the table he had cleaned.

He had been bothered by the possibility of Lin seeing them in the Ghostwalk for the past week. He couldn't help but wonder if Lin knew he and Mai were staying in the Mortimer house.

Mai noticed Naru's stare blankly at the table. He had been that way ever since they got back from the Ghostwalk.

It must be really important – that thing Naru couldn't tell her anything about.

Naru suddenly felt Mai's head on his shoulder. He looked down at her and saw her wrapping her arms around his middle, making sure her wet hands didn't touch his clothes.

"We're safe," she said. "Right..?"

Naru sighed and held her tightly against his chest. "Yes," he said. "We're safe."

Mai nodded. She then felt Naru's hand on her cheek. He raised her face up so he could see her eyes.

"Do you still trust me?" Naru asked.

Mai shrugged her shoulders. "I think so," she answered smiling at him.

Then his lips were locked with Naru's. She closed her eyes and let him tenderly deepen the kiss – his hands sending chills up her spine as one held the back of her neck, and the other held her back to keep her body pressed against his chest.

She felt him tilt his face a little, his tongue reaching crevices in her mouth that Mai didn't think he could do. She gave up on keeping a moaning sound from coming out of her throat when his hand began brushing up and down her back.

Naru's lips were beginning to move more eagerly than before and Mai was trying her best to keep up with his rhythm. When they both broke for air, Mai buried her head on the crook of his neck. She let her breath tickle his neck as he leaned down and placed light kisses on her neck and shoulder.

"I love you," Mai whispered as Naru kissed the back of her ear. "That won't change."

Naru nodded and leaned his forehead against her own. "Promise me you won't talk to strangers," he said.

Mai raised a brow at him.

"Be careful," he said. "**Please**… Extremely careful…"

Mai smirked and kissed his lips. This time, she showed him how much she had learned in their make out sessions.

Naru grunted when she pulled away.

"You **do** know it was in talking to strangers that I met you, right?" Mai asked.

Naru frowned and glared at her.

Mai chuckled and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. "Yes, Otou-san."

Naru smirked. He leaned down and placed his lips against her ear. "Keep that up and I might just make you an Okaa-san," he said in a seductive tone while his hand slipped under the end of Mai's shirt and slid up to her bare back.

Mai gasped and stepped away from him. "NARU!" she shrieked, her flushed face frowning shakily at him.

Naru smirked and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. "I'll be upstairs," he said as he leaned away from the counter and walked out of the kitchen.

Mai sighed in relief.

"On the bed," Naru loudly said from the livingroom. "Waiting for you!"

Mai covered her burning face with her wet, soapy hands.

Were they really going to do it? That early in the morning..?

"And Mai," she heard Naru say from the entrance way to the kitchen. He must have walked back to tell her one more thing. Don't wear anything? Lock the doors? Shut the windows? "Don't cover your face with your hands. It has dishwashing soap and bacon oil on it."

Mai's jaw dropped. She knew then, as Naru's steps echoed in the hall, that he was as usual – just teasing her.

"JERK!" Naru heard Mai cry out from the kitchen. He snickered as he opened the door to the office.

Everything would be alright. Things will go as planned.

Mai loved him. That was all he needed.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure we can't send Mai anything?" Ayako asked, frowning at Takumi.<p>

She was in the airport with Takigawa, Takumi and Yasuhara. They were waiting for Takumi's flight to Amsterdam.

"Yeah," Takigawa said. "Can't we even send her a sweater or a cup of instant ramen? I'm sure she misses home. At least assure her we're still here for her."

"Mai-chan doesn't know Takumi works for me," Yasuhara answered smiling at Takigawa and Ayako.

Ayako frowned at Yasuhara. "Meaning she also doesn't know he works for Naru," she said. "Now how on earth would we know if Naru's not cheating on Mai? I mean, if he could hide conspiracies this huge and complicated, he could surely easily hide a mistress!"

Takigawa sighed. "Naru's not your boyfriend, Ayako," he said. "He loves Mai. Otherwise, he wouldn't go throught these lengths to keep her safe…and a virgin." He then turned to Yasuhara. "You did say they haven't done it yet, right? And he doesn't have plans to? 'Coz if he does, I **swear** I'll make him pay **dearly** for it."

Ayako rolled her eyes. "For goodness' sake, Houshou," she said. "They're not teenagers anymore."

"So you're okay with Mai getting pre-maritally pregnant?" Takigawa asked.

"Well no," Ayako said looking shyly away. "But they're old enough. If it happens, it happens. I'll just kick Naru's ass if he leaves her to care for the baby alone."

"So you're okay with being pregnant first before getting married?" Takigawa asked looking down at Ayako.

"As long as the couple do their responsibilities with the child," Ayako answered looking up at him.

"Alright! Get a room, you two," Yasuhara said smiling.

"WHAT?!" Ayako and Takigawa exclaimed, glaring coldly at him.

Takumi just chuckled.

He then heard an announcement echo in the airport's waiting area about his flight already open for boarding.

"That's your flight," Yasuhara said.

Takumi sighed and nodded.

"Take care," Ayako said.

"Yeah," Takigawa said. "Be careful out there."

"Yes," Takumi answered. "Thank you," he said bowing to the three.

Yasuhara, Ayako and Takigawa bowed in reply. They then watched Takumi walk away to the boarding area.

"If you hadn't met Naru, and you didn't know about Takumi's past," Takigawa began. "Would you want him for Mai?"

Ayako looked up at him. "Would you?"

Takigawa shrugged his shoulders. "He's a good kid," he said. "Then again, I'd still kick Naru's ass if he plays around with Mai-chan."

Ayako smirked. "Really? You'd kick the ass of Dr. Oliver Davis?"

Takigawa frowned. "Blood is thicker than water."

"Mai-chan is not your daughter," Ayako said. "Nor is she your sister."

"And she's your what?" Takigawa asked. "Oh right! Your patient."

"She's like a daughter to me!"

"Well she's like a daughter or sister to me!"

Yasuhara sighed and shook his head.

Seriously! They should just do what Mai and Naru are doing – live in one roof as a couple!

* * *

><p>Lin reached for the doorbell.<p>

Should he ring the bell? Or should he just climb up the gate and sneak into the property?


	28. Chapter 28

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing 'Where is home?' _^ v ^_  
><em>

_Aww, readers are wishing for an Oliver Davis baby. So cute!_

_And anxiety on Lin's arrival! WOW!  
><em>

_Here's this week's chapter. Do tell me what you think about it! _* v *_  
><em>

* * *

><p>Mai heard a loud ringing sound echo from outside. She had just finished washing the dishes when she heard the noise.<p>

She walked to the window, wiping her hands on the apron she wore while washing the dishes.

Someone seemed to be standing just outside the gates.

Mai thought for a moment.

Who would visit them? Iris didn't know where the house was. She and Mai just meet in town.

Naru's family? Mai looked up at the ceiling, wondering if Naru had heard the noise.

Was he expecting someone to visit them?

Lin rang the doorbell again, eyes anxiously looking out at the path beyond the steel gates.

No one seemed to be in the house.

Mai sighed.

Naru didn't seem to have any plans of answering the door, or the gates.

Typical. She rolled her eyes.

Mai took her apron off and ran outside the house.

* * *

><p>Lin sighed and turned away.<p>

Perhaps Baehler was wrong. No one was living in the house. It may have been under Mortimer's name, but no one was there.

Then again, perhaps Noll saw him before he rode that cab with Taniyama. And he decided to move out of the house. Or he just decided to hide from anyone who would go near the house – make people think the property was abandoned.

"Coming!" Mai called as she ran to the gates with a set of keys in hand. She took them from their bedroom since Naru seemed to be busy juggling a phone and a laptop in the office.

She didn't bother answering him when he asked why she was in the hurry. She just ran out of the room with the keys, hoping the visitor was patient enough to wait for someone to see him.

* * *

><p>Lin stiffened at the sound of a woman's voice from beyond the gate.<p>

The woman seemed to be running to the gate, chiming keys in hand.

He turned to look at the woman.

Mai smiled at the visitor. "Hi! I'm sorry," she said in English. "I was busy with the dishes. How can I help you?"

Lin stared at the brown haired woman in front of him. She was wearing a dress underneath an apron. She looked like of the Davis family's house maids.

"Goedmorgen," Lin greeted the woman.

Mai smiled shyly at the man.

Despite practicing with Iris in the market once a week, her Dutch still wasn't that good. Hopefully the visitor understood some English. "Uh... Goedmorgen," she greeted the man back. "Hoe kan ik u helpen?"

"Ik ben op zoek naar Oliver Davis," Lin said.

"Narumi Kazuya..?" Mai asked.

"Ja, Narumi Kazuya," the man said, holding a white envelope with a huge "FedEx" printed on it.

Mai thought for a moment before she realized who the man was looking for. "OH! Narumi Kazuya! Ja! Ja! He's here. I'll just call him. Could you wait here for a second?"

The tall man smiled and nodded at her.

Mai quickly ran back to the house.

"Oliver Davis?" the woman asked.

"Ja," Lin answered. "Oliver Davis, uh...zwaart haar...tall young man..."

"Geen," the woman said slowly shaking her head. "No Oliver Davis," she said. "Only me, Iolitha De Coster."

Lin froze. "Uh...What about Shibuya Kazuya?"

The woman shook her head, chuckling. "No," she said smiling. "No, Sheep boo yah Cashew yeah."

Lin coughed, trying hard not to laugh at what the woman said. He cleared his throat and smiled. "I understand," he said. "Dank u. I'm very sorry for the trouble I caused."

The woman smiled and shook her head. She then turned away and walked back to the house.

Lin sighed. It made sense. The woman looked...around fifty. And she seemed like she was washing the dishes when he rang the doorbell. If she was the only one in the house, it would in deed take her some time to head to the gate.

Lin shook his head and turned away.

Baehler's research was wrong. Noll didn't use Mortimer's house. Mortimer didn't lend Noll any property. But Lin was sure Noll was there in Amsterdam. He had seen him. He was sure it was Noll that he saw.

* * *

><p>"Ik ben Narumi Kazuya," Naru said as he met the delivery man. He handed him an identification card.<p>

The man smiled and handed him the package. He also handed him a clipboard. "Alsjeblieft teken hier," he said.

Naru took the clipboard and signed his name on the allotted space. He handed it back, Mai watching them curiously as she stood beside him.

"Dank u, meneer," the man said cheerfully. "Hebben een geode dag!"

Naru nodded, giving the man his trademark smile.

Mai frowned, here eyes at Naru's face, as the delivery man drove away from the property. "You're faking it," she muttered.

Naru raised a brow at her.

"Your smile!" Mai said. "You're faking it! It's not right!"

Naru turned to the house, examining his package. "Why did you run to gate?" he asked.

"I heard the doorbell ring," Mai said. "Don't tell me I shouldn't check for a visitor when the doorbell rings."

Naru looked at her. "Mai, we don't have a door bell outside the gate," he said.

Mai frowned. "I know what I heard!"

Naru sighed and pointed to the side of the gate.

Mai looked at it, puzzled as to why it did not, in deed, have a doorbell button on it. It had a small old bronze bell though, hanging from a rod extending from a pole.

"B-But I heard a door bell ring!" Mai said. "I swear! It was like those doorbells in England! The one with buttons!"

Naru nodded. "Let's get back inside."

Mai frowned. "But I **did** hear it!"

"I didn't say you didn't," Naru said, wrapping his free arm around her waist and pulling her to his side.

"But you were implying!"

Naru ignored it. The delivery man must have been about to ring the bronze bell when Mai came running to the gate.

As Mai kept insisting she heard a doorbell ring, Naru noticed a silhouette of a man walking farther away from the far end of the road.

Naru realized Mai must have heard the doorbell of their nearest neighbor – the one Mortimer said had a loud electronic doorbell installed because the owner was a deaf old woman. It was also a Mortimer property but it was named under a false name - Mortimer's deceased nanny, just like the house Naru and Mai were staying in.

Naru froze upon realizing how familiar the silhouette was.

He swallowed.

Lin almost found them.

* * *

><p>"You told Charlotte?" Luella asked Martin as he packed he zipped his luggage.<p>

They were packing up for their trip to Amsterdam. Madoka had already called for a cab.

"She is also worried about Noll," Martin answered, looking up at his wife. "She and Hara-san are in Belgium doing their own search for him. It's only right to inform them that their efforts should be put in the right place."

Luella frowned. "What if Noll doesn't want to see her?" she asked. "What if he doesn't want to see **them**? What if seeing them forces him to run farther away?"

* * *

><p>Martin rolled his eyes. "Ms. Weist is Noll's fiancee," he said.<p>

"Exactly!" Luella exclaimed. "And not because he asked for her hand in marriage! Have you forgotten the possibility that it was this very arrangement that forced him to runaway from us?"

"Well I've already told her about it, and I have no plans of calling her to lie about what I've said," Martin said. "Noll would have to be man enough to face them."

Luella grunted and walked out of their bedroom. "You're impossible," she hissed. She ran down the stairs and saw Madoka walking in from the front door.

"I've loaded my luggage in the cab," Madoka said. She then noticed the foul mood on Luella's face. "Is...something wrong?"

"No," Luella said. "Just terrible. Have you called **him** yet?"

"I sent him a note about our trip," Madoka answered, knowing who Luella meant. "He hasn't replied. He's just being cautious. I'm sure once he's realized we're really on his side he'll respond."

"Good," Luella answered. "Send him another message. Tell him his fiancee, and Hara-san are also on their way to Amsterdam."

Madoka gasped. "Goodness! How?!"

* * *

><p><em>Nice one, <em>**FallenRaindrops**! ^ v ^


	29. Chapter 29

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing "Where is home?" _^ v ^

_So many questions, _**OliviaAnne *** v * _And we'll know the answers to them soon. How soon, though, I'm not sure I can tell you. After all, people **are** running toward Amsterdam now, hehe !_

_LOL! I got all of you there on that last chapter. _^ v ^ _I'm glad a lot of people seemed to like that part. __I was actually amazed that _**FallenRaindrops**_ thought about it before I uploaded the chapter._

_If I'm not mistaken, _**silentdove93**_, your question concerns it's this part: _

Lin froze. "Uh...What about Shibuya Kazuya?"

The woman shook her head, chuckling. "No," she said smiling. "No, Sheep boo yah Cashew yeah."

_And the part Lin tried hard not to laugh at was how the woman heard "Shibuya Kazuya" as "Sheep boo yah Cashew yeah." And no, "Sheep boo yah Cashew yeah" isn't supposed to be a Dutch phrase. It's just...how the woman heard it since she wasn't supposed to be familiar with Japanese names. _* v *

_Ooh and _**Aoi Kistukawa**_'s doing an awesome job on the cover for "Where is home?" Let's cheer Aoi on! _^ v ^

_So I had some spare time yesterday. But I can't promise it will have that much 'happenings' or 'action' yet because the characters are not yet in their proper places. _^ v ^

_Anyway, here's this week's chapter. Do tell me what you think about it!_

* * *

><p>"They are not there?" Baehler asked, clearly surprised at the outcome of Lin's trip to the Mortimer property. "Are you sure?"<p>

"Yes," Lin said, riding a cab back to town. He didn't know what to do next. He hadn't told what happened to anyone other than Baehler. Lin was sure he saw Noll. But not seeing him in the Mortimer property would be evidence against what he saw.

Madoka, Luella and Martin were already on a train to Amsterdam. If Lin called them about the outcome of his trip to the Mortimer manor, they might Noll really wasn't who Lin saw, and they might decide to go back to England.

"I am quite sure," Lin said. "Could there be, by chance, another property of Mortimer's here in Amsterdam?"

After all, this **was** Noll. It wouldn't be Noll if Lin and Baehler had easily figured his hideing place out.

He heard Baehler hum in deep thought. "I'll try to check the properties again," he said. "I might have missed something. If they hid a property that tightly, I'm guessing it was acquired decades ago and had been under a different name since then. What do you plan to do now?"

"Well," Lin said. "If Noll and Taniyama-san went on a Ghost Walk, that means they're playing tourists."

Baehler chuckled. "So you're going to play with them, eh?"

Lin looked at restaurants and shopping stalls outside the cab's window. "I just realized I'm taking things too seriously here," he said. "I saw them when I wasn't looking for them. Perhaps if I don't look for them, they'll come my way. And I've been quite an overworked assistant. I think I deserve a good vacation."

Baehler laughed. "Don't forget 'soon to be hitched,'" he said. "I'll be there by later this evening – in time to take you to the beautiful district of red lights! Nothing wrong with playing while Madoka, I mean, the **cat** is away."

Lin chuckled. "Madoka's going to kill me when she hears about this," he said. He then spotted the road that led to the famous Saturday market.

Perhaps Noll and Taniyama Mai had been to the place...or were, at that moment, checking out one of the stalls.

Lindengracht could be a good place to ask about them.

* * *

><p>Naru opened the package he received, expecting to see the documents he requested to be sent from Tokyo.<p>

He was sitting on in his office chair, ripping the package box, when Mai walked in with the cup of tea he requested.

"Here you go," Mai said placing the cup on his table. She watched him pull out an envelope from the package. "Work..?"

"No," Naru answered, opening the envelope and taking a peak at what was inside. He then pulled out a booklet...or better yet, a passport.

Mai stared shocked at him.

Were they again going to go somewhere using false passports? Perhaps their current passports had been traced by whoever Naru didn't want to see, hence the new set of passports.

Then Mai noticed something else on the passports.

She gasped.

Naru ignored her reaction and flipped the passport open to check its content.

"Th-Those are..."

"...Japanese passports, yes," Naru answered placing the passport down on the table and fishing out another Japanese passport from the envelope.

"You had fake Japanese passports made?" Mai asked.

Naru looked up at her – a bored expression on his face. He then offered the passport he pulled out from the envelope, to Mai.

Mai shyly took it and flipped it open. She gasped, for the second time, upon seeing the contents.

It had her picture, of course, and her name...Her name! Taniyama Mai! Single! It even had an address in Shibuya - Emi-san's address!

"That's an authentic passport," Naru said. "Lose it, and you won't be able to get out of the country."

Mai looked up at Naru. "B-but how did you..?"

Naru checked the other contents of the envelope. "I'm not you," he said.

Mai frowned and glared at him. "Jerk!" she spat. "Don't I need this passport stamped in the airport or somewhere here in Amsterdam since I'm here? If I try to get out of the country and they notice my passport isn't marked-"

"It's not marked?" Naru asked, raising a brow at her.

Mai stiffened. She hadn't really checked yet.

She checked the pages and for the third time that hour, gasped. It was marked. It had evidence of her flight from Japan to England, and from England to the Netherlands.

Naru looked down at the contents of the envelope that he was yet to pull out.

Mai looked at Naru. "Are these supposed to be authentic too?" she naively asked.

"Of course not," he answered. "...At least for now."

Mai sighed and sat down on the chair in front of the office table. "You never seize to amaze me," she sighed.

Naru kept his eyes on the papers that he was pulling out of the envelope. "Certainly," he replied.

Mai smirked and rolled her eyes. She stood up and walked to stand behind his chair. She slinked her arms around his neck and leaned her head on his own. She closed her eyes and inhaled the clean scent of his hair.

Naru dropped the envelope on the table, swerved his chair around and pulled Mai to sit on his lap.

Mai chuckled as he tightly held her close.

She sighed and rested her head on the crook of his neck. It was then that she realized the tension Naru had in his body. His heartbeat was beating hard against his chest. And he was breathing deeply.

She looked up at his face.

His eyes were fixed at nowhere, deep in thought.

"We're leaving soon," she whispered.

"Eventually," he answered.

"I love you," she whispered again.

Naru smirked and looked down at her face. "Do you now?" he asked.

Mai frowned. "Haven't I been showing it already?"

Naru chuckled and lightly kissed her lips. "What time are you leaving?"

Mai thought for a moment. "Some time this afternoon..?"

Naru sighed and shook his head. "You haven't called Iris yet, have you?"

Mai smiled and shook her head. "But we have an unspoken bond you know," she said. "We're scheduled to meet today. We just don't know what time. She'll just be in Lindengracht today anyway...Which reminds me." She leaned away and looked at Naru. "Want me to buy you anything?"

"See if there's any Bakewell Tarts there," Naru said.

Mai thought for a moment. "Hmm...I think I remember seeing one in that cafe I told you about," she said. "How many do you want?"

"Just enough for the two us," he said, pulling something from his pocket.

"No, I have money," Mai said, holding his hand to keep him from fishing out his wallet.

"Yes, you do," he said ignoring her.

Mai frowned. "I'll stop loving you if you pull out your wallet this very minute," she warned.

Naru looked up at her. He just stared at her for a moment. "Is that supposed to threaten me?"

Mai sighed and stood up from his lap. "Fine," she muttered. "It's just that...You've already spent so much for the passports, and the house, and-"

"If the Bakewell tarts are too expensive, I'll give you money to buy it," Naru said.

Mai stared at him.

She didn't know the price of the tart. So she can't tell Naru if it's too expensive or not, and he...won't be able to give her money to buy it.

Mai smiled widely at him. "Okay!" she said. "...**If** it's too expensive."

Naru nodded and turned his chair to face his desk.

"I'll be downstairs!" she said as she trotted to the door - her passport in tucked in her pocket.

"Don't forget to keep that passport somewhere safe!" Naru said as Mai vanished into the hall.

"Yes, boss!" she yelled out from the bedroom.

Naru smirked.

Knowing Mai, she would spend all her money buying the tart and she still won't tell him it was too expensive.

He looked down at the documents on his desk. They were all filed in neatly labelled folders. He opened one and saw pictures on the page – a two-storey building somewhere in Shibuya with a cafe on the ground floor.

"Hmm," Naru said, checking the other pictures included in the folder which were mainly pictures of the upper floor's interior. One picture showed a kitchen with tiled counters and built in cabinets.

It didn't look as spacious as his office in England, but it seemed good enough to receive clients.

* * *

><p>"Charlotte," Masako said as she sat across Charlotte in the coach of the train.<p>

They were on their way to Amsterdam from Brussels. She was sitting next to Charlotte, who was busy doing something on her smartphone. Charlotte's detectives sat in front of them, dowsing off, since they left Brussels early in the morning.

Masako and Charlotte had been silent for the past hour of the trip. Tired of staring at the sights passing by the window, she summoned up her courage and tried to open up a conversation with Charlotte.

"Yes?" Charlotte asked.

"What will you do when you see Oliver?" Masako asked.

Charlotte raised her eyes from the mobile phone and stared at the seat in front of her. "I'll call his name," she answered. "I might even run to him, hold him tight in my arms..."

Masako tried not to feel upset at her answer. "And then..?"

"I'll tell him we've been looking all over for him," she said, looking at the drammatic image of her and Noll that she had dreamed for the past weeks. "And that he should go home and that we'll take care of whatever it is that he's trying to do with that horrible woman."

"You'll really do that?" Masako asked.

Charlotte looked at Masako. "You wouldn't..?"

Masako looked out at the window. "I don't know," she said.

Charlotte smirked. "It's that priest you talk to on the phone every night, isn't it?"

Masako raised her brow at Charlotte.

Charlotte snickered. "You're in love with him!" she said. "I guess there's no point in treating you rudely now."

Masako frowned. "Did you hear what you just said?" she asked. "And how did you even know about my conversations with Fr. Brown? For your information, he was a good friend of Oliver's and he's also very much worried about Oliver's whereabouts."

"Please," Charlotte sighed. "We're not teenagers anymore, though you still look like a toddler."

Masako looked out at the window. "Yes, I do look far younger than you," she said. "...Even though we're supposed to be of the same age, you look more like you're ten years older than me."

"I DO NOT!" Charlotte exclaimed. "You don't see any wrinkles on me!" she said, touching her face and making sure it was as smooth as she remembered.

"Wrinkles aren't the only things that make people look old," Masako said. "That might even be the reason why he chose to go with Mai – you look so much older for your age."

"That's not true!" Charlotte hissed. "That woman kidnapped him – forced him into leaving his family in that awful way!"

Masako looked at Charlotte. "But what if it was really the other way around?" she asked. "What if it was Oliver who decided to run away with her?"

"It's not what happened!" Charlotte said. "And that's a fact!"

"You have no evidence to prove it," Masako said.

"And do you have evidence to prove that it was otherwise?" Charlotte asked.

Masako didn't speak. Memories of seeing Oliver sleeping on the hospital bed with Mai Davis flashed in her mind.

"No," she said. "I don't."

"Exactly," Charlotte said. "Now tell me if you want to get out of this expedition because I'll be more than welcome to say 'hi' to him in your behalf."

Masako sighed. Why was she even thinking that way? Why was she thinking such things when they were so close to finding Oliver?

* * *

><p>"Short brown hair..?" Iris asked.<p>

"Yes," Lin answered.

He decided to ask people around for Noll and Taniyama Mai while checking the stalls in Lindengracht. Many of the regular businessmen in the area didn't seem to have seen them. But a police in the area told him he spotted people that matched his description.

Apparently, a man matching Noll's description asked him to assist a drunk, flirting prostitute in getting a cab. The policeman said the man was married though, to a young Asian woman that matched Taniyama Mai's description.

Though the being 'married' part seemed off as a description for Noll and Mai, this was the closest Lin had found in his search so he had to believe it was his charge and his charge's girl that the police saw.

The police said one of the dress shop owners seemed to know the couple. And he pointed him to the direction of a stall that at that moment was being overseen by a young woman named Iris.

"We have a lot of tourists with brown hair around here, sir," Iris said chuckling. "You have to be more specific. Just a week ago, a number of people matching your description got involved in a commotion concerning a thief."

Lin nodded. She was right. They encountered quite a lot of tourists. What were the odds of them seeing a young woman with short brown hair, and brown eyes; and a tall young man with black hair and blue eyes in the market place?

"I have photographs," Lin said, remembering something he made sure he took with him before he left England. He fished out his wallet from his coat pocket, and from its sleeves pulled out two photographs – one was a copy of the photo that the press used when they published an article about Noll's academic achievement, and the other was a printed photo of a smiling Taniyama Mai in high school. It was from the photograph Emi-san had in her house. Madoka took a photo of it using her mobile phone to help them with the search.

Lin showed them to Iris.

Iris' eyes went wide.

* * *

><p>"Where are you?" Naru asked from the other end of the line.<p>

Mai sighed, standing next to a stall as crowds of tourists and regular customers passed her by.

Before she left the house, Naru advised her again to not talk to strangers, even if they were just asking for the time. She found it a bit absurd, but Naru was supposed to be a smart person so she didn't argue with him about it.

"I'm in Lindengracht now," Mai answered, looking around and holding her mobile phone against her ear. She soon spotted the stall she wanted to see and smiled. "I'm just a few stalls away from Iris' stall. Oh! I see her right now! She's just assisting a customer. A **very** tall...Hey! I think he's Asian!"

"MAI," Naru warned from the other end of the line. "What did I tell you?"

"But he's **Asian**!" Mai said seeing the man pointing to something he was showing to Iris. "He's probably even **Japanese**! Maybe he doesn't know how to speak Dutch or English and he might need my help."

She suddenly realized something.

Had he seen the man before..? She was sure she hadn't met him personally but...in her dreams..? Something inside her told her she had seen him before, with Gene and Noll, in one of her dreams...

"Mai, your Dutch is only good for greeting people, answering 'yes' and 'no' questions and asking the price of market goods," Naru said. "And if he got here in Amsterdam, he must have at least known enough English to-" Then something hit him. "...Japanese? How tall is he?"


	30. Chapter 30

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing 'Where is home?'!_

_I know I'm late. I'm terribly busy right now, I really thought I shouldn't even try to upload this chapter. _

_But I did my best to do so anyway. So here's this week's chapter_

* * *

><p>Mai kept her eyes on the tall Asian man talking to Iris.<p>

Where had she seen him before?

"MAI!" Naru shouted on the phone, panic lacing his voice. "MAI, ARE YOU STILL THERE? MAI!"

"I've...seen him...somewhere," Naru heard her mumble from the other line. He stiffened. Mai hadn't seen Lin. At least, in those times when Lin was with her, he was sure she was unconscious. Perhaps it wasn't Lin that she saw. "...Somewhere with you and Gene."

"Gordon Bennett," Naru hissed. Why on earth did Mai **have** to be a bloody psychic?

"Who?" Mai asked. "Gordon who..?"

"Nothing," Naru answered. "Where are you?"

"I told you that already," she answered, frowning.

"You haven't gone to Iris yet," Naru clarified.

"Yes, well," Mai said pouting in thought. "I really think the man needs-"

"Blackwell tart," she heard someone say from behind her.

"Blackwell tart..?" Naru heard Mai say. "What..?" he asked confused at the sudden statement.

"Hey Naru, I think I found the Blackwell tart," she answered. " Call you later!"

"MAI!" Naru shouted but the call had ended. "**Blast it**!" he hissed.

He was in the confines of the office when he decided to call Mai.

Naru glared at the screen of his open netbook. On its screen was another email from Madoka.

He repeatedly read the words of the email in his head, pondering if he should heed to what it asked of him.

"Noll," it read. "Luella, Martin and I are on our way to Amsterdam. Your father told Charlotte that Lin saw you in Amsterdam. She and Ms. Hara are also on their way to Amsterdam. Please meet me and your mother, 7am in Beatrix Park. You know how much the professor hates waking up early."

Naru sighed and stared at the sentence written as the subject of the email.

"WE'RE ON YOUR SIDE," it read.

Whenever he saw it, he couldn't help but think about that Hunger Games series for some reason. He had to admit it was an interesting read.

Naru turned his netbook off and ran to the bedroom to get his coat.

He wondered who else was headed to Amsterdam. Well, Baehler would certainly be on his way.

* * *

><p>Iris hummed in thought, thinking if she should tell the Chinese man about Naru and Mai.<p>

The man seemed like a typical Japanese mafia member with his black and white-themed clothes and formal manners.

Could Naru and Mai be running away from a mafia group? Could this man be an assassin trying to kill them? Could Naru and Mai have done a crime, and this tall man in front of her was an Interpol detective tasked to arrest them?

Doubt it. If the guy was Interpol, he would have showed her a badge of some sort.

Maybe he was a secret agent! And Naru and Mai- NO. Maybe **Naru** was a secret agent, but not Mai. Mayber Naru wasn't supposed to get married, but he loved Mai so much that he ran away from their agency, and the man in front of her was another secret agent who was supposed to drag Naru back.

Iris sighed, scrutinizing the picture.

"Well..?" Lin asked.

Iris nodded. "I think I've seen them," she said, before humming again. "Yeah. They look familiar. I can't tell you much about them though."

"But you've seen them in this area," Lin said.

Iris shrugged her shoulders. "Y-yeah," she said. "I have. They passed by the store about...hmm...a few weeks ago."

"I see," Lin said sighing in relief. "Thank you."

"Sure," Iris said playing bored. "Why are you looking for them anyway? Are those supposed to be criminals? Shop lifters? People we should avoid?"

"Oh no," Lin quickly answered. "No, they're not criminals. I'm just...I'm this man's uncle," he said pointing to Naru's picture. "I haven't seen him in a while. I heard he's here in Amsterdam so I'm trying to look for him."

"Oh," Iris said, nodding.

Come to think of it, Naru did look a bit Asian. His hue of his eyes just tells anyone he's not fully Asian.

And the tall man looked...handsome, for a middle-aged man. Yeah, maybe he's Naru's uncle.

"So this girl here," Iris said, pointing to Mai's picture. "Is she supposed to be his sister?"

"Uh n-no," Lin answered. "She's...a childhood sweetheart of his."

"Oh," Iris said. That was interesting. Mai hadn't told her that part of their love story. Maybe she should ask her about it later.

"Could you send me a message if you see them here again?" Lin asked. "I really need to see them soon."

"Sure," Iris said. "What's your number?" she asked pulling out her phone.

Suddenly, she felt like she was flirting with the guy. She looked up at him as Lin told her his number.

She began to wonder if Naru would mind if she dated his uncle.

"Okay," Iris said after giving Lin's own mobile phone a ring so he could save her number. "Where are you staying now?"

"At one of the hotels," he said. "Just tell my nephew to call me or send me a message and I'll tell him where I am."

"Alright," she said. "Koujo, right?"

"Yes," Lin said. "And you're Iris."

Iris smiled. "Yes," she said. "So I'll see you around."

"Uh, yes," Lin answered smiling at her before he turned and walked away.

Iris cheerfully watched him walk away.

"Iris!" Mai called out from afar.

Iris turned her head to see her.

Lin froze when he heard the high-pitched voice call Iris. Somehow it reminded him of...

He turned his head to look at Iris again and saw her talking to a girl around her age.

The girl was wearing a beige newsboy cap, and the crowd was covering what little view he could have to see the exposed tresses of her hair.

Surely Iris wouldn't lie to him about Mai and Noll. She did say she saw them pass, just like the police told him.

"Hey! How's business so far?" Mai asked.

"Well, as usual," Iris cheerfully answered. "I'm here after all."

Mai chuckled.

"Hey, did you see that man I was talking to earlier?" Iris asked.

"Yes, about him," Mai said. "I was about to approach you earlier when I heard someone say 'Blackwell Tart,' and I tried to look for the Blackwell Tart but I didn't find any. When I decided to approach you, he was gone. Did you need help with him? I thought he was having problems talking to you in Dutch or English because he was showing you pictures."

"Oh," Iris said. "He was very fluent in English, actually. He even had Naru's sexy British accent!"

Mai smiled shyly at her – her cheeks in a slight blush.

Yes. Naru sounded sexy when he spoke English.

"Anyway, didn't that man look familiar to you?" Iris asked.

"Um...a little," Mai answered. "Why?"

"Well," Iris said. "His name is Koujo Lin. He said he's Naru's uncle."

Mai stared wide-eyed at Iris.

The familiar-looking man was Naru's uncle?

"He said he hadn't seen him for a very long time," Iris said. "He received word that Naru is here with his childhood sweetheart," she said winking at Mai. "So he's looking for him, **and** his childhood **sweetheart**."

Mai froze.

Naru...had a childhood sweetheart..?

What could she look like? Was she Japanese? Was she English? Was she American? Was she...smart? And beautiful..? Was she also trying to see Naru? What should she do?

Iris saw anxiety, sadness and fear overwhelm Mai's cheerful face. She raised a brow at her. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Aren't you Naru's childhood sweetheart?"

"WHAT?" Mai asked, staring shocked at Iris.

"You're not his childhood sweetheart?" Iris asked. "I could swear it was your picture that he showed me."

"My...picture?" Mai asked.

How would Naru's uncle have Mai's picture.

"Haven't you met his uncle before?" Iris asked.

Mai stiffly shook her head. "I...don't think so," she answered.

Iris sighed and hummed in thought. "That's odd," she said. "I swear that really **was** you in the picture."

Mai looked away.

Perhaps she looked like Naru's sweetheart. Maybe that's why he...fell...for her... Mai reminded him of his childhood sweetheart.

"You never did tell me how you two met," Iris said smiling at her. "How about we grab some shake while you tell me about it?"

"Eh..?" Mai said raising a brow at her. "Wouldn't you be reprimanded by your parents if you leave?"

"Nope," Iris said. "I already told them I have an important date," she said winking slyly at Mai.

Mai chuckled. "Alright then," she said.

She sighed as she watched Iris tell her mother about their 'date.' She remembered their conversation about Naru's childhood sweetheart.

Could Naru be missing her?

"Let's go," Iris said, pulling Mai's arm as she pranced to the road.

"Hey Iris," Mai said. "What did you tell Naru's uncle?"

Iris raised her brows at Mai.

"His uncle asked you if you saw him, right?" Mai asked.

"Oh yeah," Iris said. "I told him I saw him and that girl in the picture. Like I said, I though she was you. I didn't tell him I knew you and your husband. I though he was part of some mafia group so I didn't tell him the truth."

"Mafia group..?" Mai asked chuckling.

"Yeah! I thought you saw him earlier," Iris said. "He looked enormous and scary!"

Mai laughed. "That's too stereotypical of you," she said.

Iris shrugged her shoulders. "But if her really just said he was Naru's uncle from the beginning, I would have told him the truth," she said. "I have his number by the way. Could Naru know if his uncle is single or not?"

Mai gasped. "Iris!" she said. "How could you? What about Gilles?"

"What he wouldn't know won't hurt him," she said slyly winking at Mai.

Mai chuckled. "I doubt Naru would help you with his uncle," she said.

"Then perhaps his wife will..?"

"NO WAY!"

The two laughed as they disappeared in the crowd.

Lin watched them from a far, stunned at the sight of the Japanese girl he had been looking for.

Mai was there. And so was Naru.

AND THEY WERE REALLY MARRIED?

He was sure Madoka would **love** to hear the news.

* * *

><p>Naru rode the cab to Lindengracht – his eyes fixed at the view outside his window.<p>

Hopefully Mai didn't approach Lin, and Lin didn't see Mai.

He knew he would have to tell everything to Mai very soon. But he just couldn't bring himself to do it – not when he knew how **exactly** she would react to the news.

Naru sighed.

His plan would work. Not even Charlotte's party-crashing act will stop its success.

Due to some vehicular accident on the road, the cab he rode on decided to go on a detour. They ended up passing by a familiar hotel.

Naru looked at it, watching the tourists excitedly walking out from its door.

They passed a waiting shed with tourists eagerly lining up to ride a cab.

Naru noticed that one of them, a middle aged man in a thick brown trench coat, had his blue eyes fixed on the cab he was riding on...or rather...at the backseat of...

Naru froze. The cab's windows weren't tinted and the man looked greatly familiar to him.

"Baehler," he breathed just as the man himself mouthed "Oliver."

Naru cursed as the cab drove down the road.

Baehler saw him! He would find Mai if he proceeds to Lindengracht!

"Follow that cab, will you, mate?" Baehler told the cab driver the minute he got in the car – his finger pointing directly at the cab where he saw Oliver Davis in.

Lin was right. The doctor was there and most probably even the Japanese girl who caught his heart.

Baehler quickly pulled out his mobile phone from his pocket as the cab drove down the road. "Koujo," he said, holding the phone against his ear. "I saw Dr. Davis."


	31. Chapter 31

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing 'Where is home?'_

_I know you all hate me the terribly late update. But before you accuse me of planning to discontinue this story, of iresponsibility, of just dragging this story longer because I'm trying to lead you away from a crappy ending, and of whatever else you'd like to say to me, let me just say that I can give you no other honest explanation for the tardiness except that I am awfully busy again this week. It was a miracle that I was able to update 'Scroll,' my other story, on time. I was really planning to update "Where is home?" after that but several tasks with deadlines just dragged me away from doing it. _

_Anyway, enough of my defensiveness since I still have other things to do and I know you would rather just start reading the update rather than my explanations so..._

_Here's this week's chapter! Do tell me what you think about it. _^ v ^

* * *

><p>"Rijd naar Bijenkorf," Naru ordered the driver.<p>

"Bijenkorf?" the driver asked. "We zijn niet van plan om Lindengracht?"

"Ja," Naru answered. "Gewoon rijden Bijenkorf."

"Okay," the driver said, taking a turn at the nearest intersection.

Naru looked back at the cab behind them – the cab where Baehler was. The detective was still on his tail.

Naru looked at the road again. He's not afraid he wouldn't lose Baehler. He had done it before.

But Mai! If she saw Lin, it was possible that Lin might see her too!

There were two things Lin could do if he indeed saw her – one, he would talk to her.

Naru crossed his arms over his chest and thought of how things would go if Lin told Mai everything.

Two, Lin would follow Mai in the hopes that she would lead him to the house she and Naru were staying in.

Naru tapped his chin. Which option would Lin do?

* * *

><p>"Where's he headed?" Lin asked Baehler as he walked through the crowd of tourists – eyes fixed at the two ladies walking several paces away from him.<p>

Lin decided to follow Iris and Mai. It seemed like the two were close friends. They first went through the stalls – checking out clothes, shoes, and hats. Then they bought some drinks, desserts, and at that moment, they seemed to be headed to a café.

If Baehler saw Noll in a cab, chances were he was intending to meet with Mai in Lindengracht. If that was the case and he saw Noll there, should he talk to him?

He should.

But then, based on Baehler's description on what transpired on his end of the line, Noll saw him. And knowing Noll, he would go in a place other than Lindengracht. He would do everything to lose Baehler, which wouldn't be that hard for him to do since he had done it several times before.

"I'm not sure yet, but I'll find out," Baehler answered from the other line. "If I lose him, at least I can back you up on believing he's here."

"Don't worry," Lin said, trying to act like he was looking at a menu.

He had taken a seat somewhere in the café where he could easily spot Mai and Iris.

"I got Taniyama Mai," Lin said.

The girls were busy ordering shakes and pastries.

"You got who?!" Baehler exclaimed. "You're bloody good at this! You're talking to her now?"

"No," Lin answered. "I'm following her."

"Huh? You're not planning on talking to her?"

"Not really," Lin answered, watching Mai sip the fruit shake she ordered while she sat in front of Iris. Iris was animatedly telling her a story.

Perhaps the reason why Iris didn't tell him the truth about Mai was because Noll already warned her against people who would ask about them. Or perhaps she was just being a protective friend to Taniyama.

"I have a feeling I should talk to Noll first," Lin continued.

"Well unfortunately," Baehler said, noticing the twists and turns that Noll's cab was taking. "It seems like he's headed for Bijenkorf. He's really running away from me, isn't he?"

Lin chuckled. Bijenkorf was quite a large mall, at least that was what Madoka told him. "Good luck in your attempt to outsmart him," he said.

* * *

><p>Madoka stared at Martin and Luella.<p>

She sat across them in the train coach. Martin was already asleep. Luella on the other hand was scowling at her mobile phone.

The couple didn't seem to be on speaking terms when they rode the train to Amsterdam.

Madoka cleared her throat.

Luella looked up at her.

"Are you two alright, Luella?" she asked.

Luella sighed. "Come," she said standing up. "I need to go to the loo. The tension's been killing me."

Madoka stood up and followed her out the coach.

When they were near the loo, Luella pulled her to the Dining car.

"Wh-What are you..?"

"Hush!" Luella hissed. "Martin might hear us!"

Madoka stared confused at Luella. But she followed her into the dining car nonetheless. They took a seat at the far end of the car.

"Martin is being an arse," Luella muttered.

Madoka tried hard not to laugh. It was like watching Noll say something positive to someone from the bottom of his heart.

"He wants to drag Noll back to England," Luella explained. "He's planning on making him meet Charlotte and Ms. Hara, and even have the two girls talk to Mai – make her see she's not worth our son's time."

Madoka gasped. "But that's just too much! Mai hasn't known a thing about what's going on. At least, that's what I think since you said Noll said he 'kidnapped' her."

Luella rolled her eyes. "I think Noll just wants him to step back," she said. "That's the problem when Martin feels strongly about something – he doesn't let things go that easily. That's why Noll ran away with Mai. He wanted to stun Martin and make him realize that he has to actually **listen** to what Noll is going to say."

Madoka nodded. The professor did have that tendency, especially after they lost Gene. He blamed himself for what happened since he gave Gene permission to go to Japan on his own.

"What should we do now?" Madoka asked.

"We have to tell Noll first thing tomorrow about what he's planning to do," Luella answered. "I'm not sure if this is all going to end well but this is the first time I've seen Noll feel so passionate about being with a woman. And I want to let him know that we'll support him in these things."

Madoka smiled. "That's right," she said. "We'll meet him and help him out."

"Do you have any update on Lin?" Luella asked.

"Ah yes," Madoka said. "Now that you've mentioned it, he hasn't responded to my messages. I believe he's on to something. I'll call him now."

Luella nodded. Her eyes looked around the car. There weren't much people in the car so it was quite easy to spot people's faces.

Then she saw someone walk away from the dining car entrance.

Martin..?

* * *

><p>Naru ran into the mall, quickly looking for a huge crowd to walk through. He glanced behind him and saw Baehler getting out of the cab.<p>

Naru quickly walked to the nearest group of people and acted like he was part of it. Baehler was several steps behind him in seconds.

"Dr. Davis," he called.

Naru swiftly walked to a department store, making sure he passed through a thick crowd of shoppers. He glanced back at Baehler as walked midway into the store. Baehler was still on his way through a crowd of tourists.

Baehler saw Noll walk into a clothing store holding a sale. It was packed with people – just what Noll needed to get away from him.

"Nein, sie wieden nicht," he hissed as he followed Noll into the store.

Naru walked casually through the various store ailes, passing middle-aged women who were busy looking at the discounted dresses and glancing subtly at Baehler who was trying his best to catch up with him.

The crowd wasn't enough to hide Naru. If he started running, he would call everyone's attention and give Baehler a chance to run and catch him. Baehler might even get the police's help.

Naru smirked as he glided into another aisle.

Baehler watched Noll walk swiftly from one aisle to another – from one shirt rack to the next. But none of the clothes of the number of people in the store could conceal him.

Baehler smiled.

It seemed like luck was in his side.

And as if on cue, he noticed Naru stop. He squeezed himself into a group of people who were looking at a pile of winter coats that were on sale.

Baehler smiled. Noll was stuck at a dead end. He quickly reached out his hand, grabbing the end of Noll's coat.

Naru turned around and saw Baehler pulling the pocket of his coat. He stared aghast at him.

"Dr. Da-"

"DIEF!" Naru shouted, pointing at Baehler. "DIEF!"

Baehler saw the crowd around them suddenly turn their heads to look at him...to stare at him.

Naru kept his lips from smirking as the crowd around him began to push Baehler away. He took it as an opportunity to escape, squeezing himself into the crowd, and walking swiftly away from the scene.

The shoppers continued to hover over Baehler – shouting curses and threats, and accusations about him being a thief. The security guard in the store was also there, tightly holding Baehler's arm so he wouldn't escape.

"Nee!" Baehler cried out as the crowd pushed him out of the store. Policemen were rushing into the scene. "Nee! Ik ben geen dief!"

Naru watched the police drag Baehler away from the second floor of the mall.

Luckily, he read an article of a sale in Bijenkorf that morning, and fortunately the crowd acted the way he needed them to act.

Naru walked casually but quickly out of the mall.

Perhaps it was time he and Mai headed home.

* * *

><p>Mai felt the mobile phone in her pocket vibrate.<p>

"Can you excuse me for a second?" she shyly asked Iris.

"Sure," Iris answered, sipping her shake.

Mai pulled the phone out of her pocket and held it against her ear. "Hello?"

"Are you in the middle of something?" she heard Naru's voice say from the other line.

"U-um," Mai mumbled, cheeks blushing.

Iris smirked as she watched her friend. "He misses you already?" she teased.

Mai frowned at Iris.

Iris just laughed at her.

"I'm in a café with Iris now," Mai told him. "Is something wrong?"

Iris nodded, smiling widely. "Yup," she said. "He's in the mood and you're not there to join him."

"Iris!" Mai hissed, her face more in a shade of red than pink.

"What?" Naru asked from the other line.

"N-Nothing!" Mai answered. "Iris is joking around. Um...So you need me to go home?"

"Duh!" Iris teased.

Mai glared at her.

"What do you think?" Naru asked. "Oh wait. Nevermind."

Mai frowned. "I was just trying to clarify what you meant, jerk!"

"Ooh," Iris said, faking a wince. "Calm down, Mai. Do you know how painful it is for men when they're in-"

"Iris!" Mai hissed, her rosy cheeks in a deep shade of red. "Naru's not in heat!"

"I'm not what?" Naru asked.

Mai stiffened.

Iris burst into laughter.

"Um...N-Nothing!" Mai shyly said. "I-I'll be there...in a minute...or so...yeah."

There was nothing but silence on the other line.

Mai winced. Iris just kept on laughing.

"I'll see you in the bedroom," Naru's sensual voice echoed from the mobile phone.

Mai gasped, chills running up her spine – good chills though...**Really** good chills.

Iris noticed how Mai's ears suddenly matched the colour of her cheeks. She smirked. "I told you he was in the mood," she said.

Mai glared at Iris. "Y-yes," she muttered, replying to Naru before he ended the call.

Lin raised a brow, watching Iris laugh at a blushing Mai who was slipping her mobile phone back to her pocket.

Was it Noll who called her?

It wasn't impossible. If Baehler spotted him, he would surely worry about Mai being spotted by someone connected to his parents – like Lin himself.

Lin watched Mai and Iris stand from their seats – Iris still teasing Mai, and Mai acting defensive about it. Mai carried a bag of pastry with her while they walked away from the café.

Lin quickly stood up and followed them as they went to a waiting shed to get a cab.

"Oh!" Iris exclaimed, looking like she suddenly remembered something. "I forgot about your husband's uncle. Should I tell him about you two?"

Mai remembered the tall Asian man she saw, about the said man possibly being Naru's uncle, and Naru's childhood sweetheart...whom he supposedly should be with. "Um," Mai said looking away. "I think I should ask him about it first. He **is** his uncle."

Iris nodded. "Alright then," she said. She noticed something off on Mai's face. "Hey. You are not, by any chance, jealous of Naru's childhood sweetheart are you?"

"W-What?" Mai shyly said, frowning at her. Her cheeks were beginning to turn red again.

Iris chuckled. "Don't be," she said. "You're **married** to him already. And he is so in love with you. Why would he ask you to go home immediately if he doesn't? If he doesn't care that much about you, he would just get some whore to fill his needs."

"Iris!" Mai hissed, her cheeks in a bright shade of red.

Iris laughed. "Seriously," she said. "Don't worry about that childhood sweetheart of his, okay? He's with **you** now."

Mai forced herself to smile.

Unfortunately, she and Naru were only married on paper – on a falsified passport to be exact.

"Here's your cab!" Iris said, as a cab stopped in front of them.

Mai smiled and opened the door to the passenger seat. Iris held the door open while she stepped inside.

"Tell your husband I hate him for ruining our date," Iris said, still holding the car door open.

Mai chuckled.

"And tell him to learn how to relieve himself."

"Iris!"

Iris laughed and closed the door.

Lin watched Iris wave goodbye as Mai's cab drove away from the shed. He quickly rushed to the road side and took a cab of his own.

Iris was about to walk away from the shed when she noticed a cab drive off toward the direction where Mai's cab drove to.

What took her attention though was how the passenger of the said cab somewhat resembled Naru's uncle.

* * *

><p>"Tadaima!" Mai said as she stepped into the house.<p>

She saw Naru in the lobby, taking his coat off. She stared confused at him as he hung the coat on the coat hook.

"Okaerinasai," Naru said as he walked toward Mai. He wrapped and arm around her waist and gently placed a kiss on her lips.

Mai kissed him back. "You went out?" she asked as they walked into the living room.

"I got bored," Naru answered as he sat down on the couch – his arm pulling Mai to sit on his lap.

Mai complied and stretched her legs on the remaining space of the couch.

"How was your date?" Naru asked taking Mai's newsboy cap off of her head.

Mai smiled, holding the paper bag of pudding on her lap. "I bought your Blackwell pudding!" she excitedly said, handing him the bag.

Naru smirked and looked at the content of the bag. "How much was it?"

"Not much," Mai answered, leaning her head on the crook of Naru's neck.

Naru placed the bag of pudding on the side-table and leaned his head over Mai's.

"Oh and Iris hates you," Mai said smiling. "Because you ruined our 'date.'"

Naru smirked. "Which reminds me," he said gently rubbing Mai's jaw with his fingers. "I was supposed to meet you in the bedroom."

Mai felt her cheeks burn. "Naru!" she hissed, covering her face.

Naru smirked and kissed her forehead.

Mai then remembered about the man she saw in the market. "Naru!" she gasped, leaning away from him. "Remember that Asian man I told you about on the phone?"

Naru glared at her. "You talked to him?"

"No! I heard someone say Blackwell tart and I looked for it, but apparently it was my imagination, and before I could reach Iris the man was gone," Mai explained.

Naru tried not to laugh.

Childish.

"Anyway, Iris said he's your uncle," Mai said.

Naru raised a brow at her.

All of Naru and Gene's relatives, at least the once they knew, were English since their adopted parents were English. He figured Lin was the man who Mai saw. But...Uncle..?

"Did your uncle go with you when you did your investigation in the Norringbent manor?" Mai asked.

Naru looked confused at Mai.

"Well, I told you I had dreams back in England right? And some of them were about you and Gene in the Norringbent mansion," Mai explained.

Naru didn't say anything in reply. He knew it had something to do with her possible postcognition ability.

"Well," Mai said shyly looking down at her fingers. "In one of them, the tall man I saw earlier was there. He looked a lot younger though. When I saw him earlier in the market, he looked really familiar to me. I knew I've seen him somewhere with you and Gene but I couldn't quite point out where. Then Iris said he introduced himself as your uncle. And I remembered that dream where he was with you."

Naru watched Mai look up at him.

"Naru, is he your uncle?" Mai asked. "He asked Iris to tell him if she's seen or met you. She wasn't sure if he was your uncle so she didn't tell him she knew you."

Naru looked away and nodded.

Mai slightly tilted her head to the side, confused at Naru's action.

"He's your uncle?" she asked.

"No," Naru answered. It was indeed Lin. He would have to thank Iris for protecting them.

"Eh?" Mai gasped. "But Iris said he had a picture of you! And the picture of your childhood sweetheart..!"

Naru raised a brow at her. Lin showed Iris a picture of Gene? What for?

"Your childhood sweetheart," Mai said, cheeks blushing. She could feel something inside her chest twist. "Iris said she...looked like me..."

Naru just stared at her.

Mai watched him, waiting for the information to sink in. "He was...thinking...you were with her," she said, almost whispering as the sting in her chest turned to pain.

Then Naru smirked...and he burst into laughter.

Mai stared baffled at her "husband." Was it too sensitive to talk about?

After composing himself, Naru leaned down and passionately kissed Mai, making her body freeze up and her heartbeat speed up.

Mai couldn't help but feel the smirk on his lips as he nibbled her lower lip.

When he leaned away, Mai was...red.

"What...was that...for..?" she asked, trying to catch her breath.

"You're jealous," Naru said, still smirking.

"I AM NOT!" Mai defended, her ears as red as her cheeks.

Naru gently kissed her lips again. "I have a childhood sweetheart," he said, looking at her lips.

Mai tried to conceal the pain in her chest that she was feeling.

And she looked so much like you that I fell for you – that was what he would say...right?

Naru looked into her eyes. "His name is Eugene Davis."

"WHAT?!"

Naru smirked. "He was all that I had back then," he said.

Mai suddenly realized what he meant.

Gene was Naru's only blood-relative, at least...that's what she knows. And being adopted by strangers and being in school with even more strangers made Naru cling to Gene more – made them both cling to each other.

Maybe they were just so close to each other that people thought they had a thing for each other...which would just be disgusting since they were twins! YUCK!

Mai chuckled. "I bet you were the girl in your relationship," she said.

Naru glared at Mai, held her cheek and kissed her more eagerly than he did before. Then he trailed kisses down her jaw...the back of her ear...her neck.

Mai squealed and squirm below him. "Stop-! Stop-it!" she cried, chuckling as he trailed kisses down her neck. "NARU! OLIVER DAVIS!"

Naru smirked and kissed her lips again.

When he leaned away, Mai covered his lips with her hand. "If Gene was your childhood sweetheart, whose picture did that man show Iris?" she asked, trying to keep her breathing even.

Naru froze.

Was that the effect of kissing her – transferring some of Naru's analogical abilities to Mai that no diversion, not even the most passionate diversion, could deter her from thinking about those things?

Perhaps he should refrain from kissing her.

"And if he's not your uncle, why was he with you in that dream I had?" Mai asked. "Why would the picture of your supposed childhood sweetheart look like me?"

Naru sighed and leaned farther away from her.

"Naru..?" Mai asked, suddenly feeling anxious about the situation. "Why did you ask me to come home?"

Naru looked at her. "We need to pack our bags," he said. "We're leaving Amsterdam."

* * *

><p>Lin stared at the steel gate in front of him.<p>

He remembered how Taniyama Mai went through that very gate. Just moments ago.

Lin looked at the closet house to the gate and sighed. He almost found them!

"Sorry I'm late," Baehler said huffing as he walked to Lin. "I had to prove the Amsterdam police that I was wrongly accused."

Lin raised his brows at Baehler. "Wrongly accused?"

"Long story," Baehler said waving his hand before placing them on his waist. He looked at the gate. "So this is the place?"

Lin looked at the path beyond the gate – at the old manor where Mai walked in.

"I believe so," Lin answered. "Right there," he said pointing to the nearest house. "...Was the house where we thought they were living in."

"What the-" Baehler muttered. "He got me there too?"

Lin smirked. "Guess he did," he said. "Do you know whose house this is?"

"I can check it out in my records," Baehler answered. "So are you going to talk to them?"

Lin looked at the door of the manor. Noll and Mai could be in there.

"No," Lin said. "I'll...wait for the professor."

As if on cue, his mobile phone rang. He fished it out of his pocket and held it against his ear.

"Koujo!" Madoka's voice rang from the other line. "We're going to reach the station soon."

"That's good," Lin answered. "Baehler and I will meet you there."

"Your fiancée?" Baehler asked.

Lin nodded at him.

Baehler sighed. "I guess we can't check out the red light district anymore."

Lin chuckled.

* * *

><p>Naru watched Mai sleep on the bed.<p>

It was early in the morning. The sun was still too sleepy to peek out from the clouds. And Mai was still asleep. Naru made sure she did. They slept late that night, packing things for their trip.

There were still some things that were left unpacked though and before they slept he told her not to pack them alone.

Naru placed a kiss on her forehead.

She was very patient with him. He didn't tell him everything that night. But she did what he wanted her to do. She didn't push him.

Which was why he had to make sure everything was in place before he told her what she needed to know.

Naru placed a note on the side table before he left the room.

* * *

><p>"Do you think he will meet us here?" Luella asked Madoka as they walked down the path of the park.<p>

They were in Beatrix Park by 6:30 in the morning. They left Martin and Lin sleeping in the hotel.

"I hope he will," Madoka said. "We're just here to help him after all. I'm hoping he realizes that he needs people behind the enemy lines."

"That's what you two are supposed to be?" they heard a familiar voice say from behind them.


	32. Chapter 32

_Thank you all so much again for reading and reviewing "Where is home?" _^ v ^

_So sorry for the late update. _I'm still busy this week.__

__Someone's keeping tabs on the sneak peak from "Key" __^ v * **Celestial Star12**

_Anyway here's this week's chapter. Tell me what you all think about it!_

* * *

><p>Takumi stepped out of the shuttle service.<p>

He arrived in Amsterdam Airport Schipol in time to catch a shuttle service to Holiday Inn Express – the hotel where he supposedly had a lodging reservation in.

Takumi looked at the slip of paper he made sure to keep in his pocket when he left Japan. It contained the things he needed to do once he reached the hotel, the things he needed to present them, and the schedule of his brief visit in Amsterdam.

He went to the lobby, as instructed in the note, and sought help in getting the room that was reserved for his stay, prior to his arrival in the airport.

"May I please have your name, sir?" the man handling the reservations in the desk asked, smiling kindly at him.

"Takumi," Takumi said, thanking Yasuhara for the strenuous English lessons he gave him back in Japan. The plan was to teach him Dutch, but it would be too difficult to do since not many people in Japan could speak Dutch. At least if it was English, all they had to do was watch Hollywood movies, and talk to Yasuhara and his friend, Fr. John Brown. "Takumi Kaiba."

"Just give me a moment, sir, while I look it up," the man said tapping the keboard of the computer situated behin the desk. After a few seconds the man smiled at him and handed him a key with a room number tagged as a holder. "This here is your room number sir," the man said pointing to the number on the key. "Wouter here will assist you to your room."

"Good morning, sir," greeted a bellboy quicky walking to stand beside Takumi.

Takumi smiled. "Thank you," he answered, bowing slightly. Yasuhara said bowing was alright so long as Takumi didn't do it in the usual Japanese way.

Wouter, the bellboy, then took his luggage and led him to the lift.

While waiting to reach their designated floor, Takumi couldn't help but feel giddy.

He thought that day in England's train station would be the last time he would see Mai. But he was given another chance to meet her in Amsterdam.

Wouter led Takumi to the reserved hotel room. And before the bellboy left, Takumi made sure he handed him a tip – another gesture Yasuhara taught him back in Shibuya.

Takumi sighed as he looked at the room. It was small but far more spacious than what he was used to live in back in Japan. Everything looked neat and clean. Some of the walls had pictures on it – paintings that accented the blue and white theme of the room.

Takumi walked to the bed and sat on it.

Yes, much more comfortable than the futon he slept on. So this was the life of a rich man.

He smiled. "I'll be rich enough to have a bed like you someday," he said, tapping the white blacket covering the bed.

Takumi then looked at the window. It had a view of the city outside.

He sighed.

A second chance to see Mai meant another chance to take her away from Naru. After all, she didn't know Naru was "kidnapping" her that day. Perhaps if the situation was cleared up for her, she would realize Naru isn't the man for her.

Takumi smiled. He would go back to Japan with her. This time, he was sure it would happen.

* * *

><p>Noll stood watching Madoka and Luella gasping in excitement and surprise at him. His mother quickly hugged him, and even kissed his cheeks.<p>

"Noll!" Madoka said glaring at him. "That was rude of you – not replying to my emails when you were able to read them, and shocking as like that!"

Noll raised a brow at her. "I don't recall reading any need for my reply in your emails," he said. "And were you not expecting me?"

"Oh Noll," Luella said, still holding her son. "We were afraid you wouldn't meet us. And your father has been snooping around."

Noll's face turned grim. "He might be," he said.

"Well we made sure he and Koujo were sleeping when we left," Madoka explained.

"What alibi did you leave them?"

"I wanted some fresh air," Luella said. "I know it's a crappy alibi but I've been anxious and giddy since we came here yesterday that your father himself told me to relax and walk around."

Noll nodded. His mother was prone to having panic attacks so to keep her from having one, she was always advised by the doctor to walk around and let her mind wonder away from her worries once in a while.

"How is she?" Luella whispered, smiling excitedly at Noll.

It took a moment for Noll to process a reply. His mother really did like Mai, and she hadn't met her yet! "She's sleeping," he said.

Luella gasped. "You haven't been too naughty last night, have you?"

Noll frowned – his lips in a pout.

Madoka covered her smirking lips.

Noll always acted like a child in front of his mother.

"We were packing our bags last night," he explained.

"Oh, you're leaving again?" Luella said. "Do you need any help with reservations? Tickets..? Lodging..? Baby things..?"

Noll rolled his eyes, his cheeks slightly blushing. "She's not pregnant," he muttered.

"You had protection?" Luella whispered.

"Mother!" Noll hissed.

"I'm not going to tell anyone," Luella whispered. "Not even your father."

Madoka was giggling – her hands on her mouth.

"I'm not doing this," Noll hissed again, his cheeks evidently red.

Luella sighed and let him go. "You didn't do it, did you?" she asked.

"Why would I?!" Naru hissed. "We're not married yet!"

Luella gasped, teary-eyed. "Oh Noll! I'm so proud of you! Madoka, did you hear that? Noll grew up as a gentleman after all! Oh I am so happy right now!"

Noll closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew his cheeks were in flames and he **did not** like it.

"Aww, that's right," Madoka crooned. "I'm so happy for you, Luella! **Good job**, Noll!"

"Can we just start talking about what you two want to talk about?" Noll snapped at Madoka – his cheeks still a shade of pink.

"Oh yes," Luella said. "Well there's your father, and Koujo, and Baehler, and Ms. Weist, and...Where do you want us to start?"

"How about we start with breakfast?" Madoka asked.

Noll took a deep breath and sighed. "This way," he said as he led the two forward. "I believe they serve bacon and apple pancakes at this hour."

"And poffertjes..!" Madoka excitedly said. "I want poffertjes!"

"And tea," Luella said. "Do they serve tea?"

* * *

><p>Martin drank heartily drank his coffee as Lin and Baehler sat in the living room of their suite.<p>

The professor had invited the two over for coffee and tea at seven in the morning. He woke Lin up, who was sleeping in one of the bedrooms in their suite and called Baehler the night before to meet with them.

Lin kept quiet as Baehler stared confused at the professor.

The room had been silent since Baehler arrived. Lin himself, probably still a bit sleepy, couldn't so much as tell Baehler about the reason for the emergency meeting.

Tired of waiting for someone to speak, Baehler cleared his thoat. "So where are Mrs. Davis and Ms. Mori?" he asked.

"They're out for an early morning walk," Martin answered. "Luella's been too apprehensive lately. I thought letting her walk with Madoka in the park would make her a tad bit better."

Baehler nodded. "If you don't mind me asking," Baehler said. "Why are we meeting this early in the morning?"

Lin, still in his nightgown, just watched the professor – his arms crossed over his chest. He himself hadn't known the reason behind the assembly. And he wasn't given that much of a chance to report about his search for Noll.

"Because we need to discuss the developments on Noll's...disappearance," Martin answered, placing the empty cup of coffee down and looking at Baehler.

The professor didn't like waking up that early in the morning so he needed a good dose of espresso to help him survive the day.

"Shouldn't we wait for Mrs. Davis and Ms. Mori?" Baehler asked.

"I'm afraid they've decided to scheme against us," Martin said sighing. "I'm betting they're meeting with Noll this very moment."

Baehler and Lin stared shocked at the professor.

"But I thought they were-"

"It's just Luella's alibi," Martin explained. "It's quite a crappy one, but it would make sense if you don't think about the possibility of them sending messages to Noll behind our backs. Luella **does** like early morning walks when she's too jumpy to stay asleep."

"You're saying they've been exchanging messages with Noll?" Lin asked.

"You're sure about this?" Baehler asked.

"I heard them talk about it in the train," Martin said. "I'm sure they've sent him messages. But knowing Noll, he wouldn't send them a reply. He's a bright boy."

"What do you suggest we do?" Lin asked.

Martin leaned back on the couch. "Well, first thing's first," he said. "How's the search so far?"

"We found him," Baehler answered. "Well, I saw him. And Lin saw Ms. Taniyama. I lost Noll but Lin was able to follow Ms. Taniyama to the house they were staying in. It's an old manor, to state it correctly."

Martin smiled. "Perfect!" he said. "And what of this manor..?"

Baehler pulled out an envelope he had carried to the hotel. He pulled out a document with the picture of the manor. "It's under the name Gignere Geest."

Martin stared at Baehler for a moment – silence overwhelming the room.

Then he burst into laughter.

Lin and Baehler stiffly stared at each other, wondering what had caused the professor to laugh out loud.

"Oh dear," Martin said, wiping a tear from his eye. "If Luella was here, she would have laughed to tears."

"Um...I'm terribly sorry but I lost...the punchline?" Baehler said.

"We both...did," Lin said.

"Ah! Of course," Martin said. "You see, Noll and Gene had a pet dog back in the orphanage. It was a stray dog that they kept hidden from the orphanage keepers for quite a while. He was a huge ball of white hair, as Gene described it. And he had a pair of grey eyes. He always appeared in places where Noll and Gene were, so they decided to keep him as a pet.

Because of the dog's appearance, children and mostly other people thought it was a ghost when they saw the dog in the dark. Gene said it was very clever too. They didn't potty train the dog because it already knew where to and where not to relieve himself. So they named him 'Gignere Geest.'"

"Gignere...Geest?" Baehler asked.

Martin shook his head, chuckling. "'Gignere' is Latin the root word for the word, 'genius,'" he explained. "'Geest'" the Dutch root word for 'ghost.'"

Lin and Baehler's eyes went wide.

"They named the manor under a dog?" Lin asked.

"The dog had a surname?" Baehler asked.

Martin laughed. "Gene said he called the dog, 'Mr. Geest,' while Noll called it 'Gignere.'"

Baehler slapped his face, muttering curses at how he missed that fact.

Would someone actually name their child, "Gignere Geest"? Would a man with the name even exist?

Lin stared blankly at the center table. He smirked. His charge was indeed **very** clever. It would take them a while to figure it out. If they hadn't followed Mai and saw the house, they wouldn't have noticed the manor's connection with Noll.

"What should we do next?" Lin asked the professor.

Martin tapped his chin. "Hmm," he hummed. "What must we do?"

Baehler and Lin suddenly heard the front door click. And from the open door walked Charlotte and Masako.

"Good morning, Prof. Davis," Charlotte said smiling at Martin. "...My sincere apologies for being late. We had to tidy up some things in the hotel."

Baehler and Lin stared at the two.

"No worries," Martin said smiling back at her. "Please, sit down."

The two complied, occupying the remaining couch.

Lin and Baehler stared at each other.

Was the professor planning to let the two girls meet Noll? Wouldn't that push Noll away from them even more?

* * *

><p>Mai smiled and scooted closer to Naru. He smelled so good, even in bed. And he felt so soft.<p>

She buried her head into his chest and listened to the beating heart that lulled her to sleep ever since she moved with him to Amsterdam.

Mai stiffened.

She could hear nothing but the sound of her own hearbeat.

Mai snapped her eyes open and found Naru's pillow in his place. She sat up, frowning at the pillow.

Where did he go?

Mai yawned, stretching her arms up. She scratched her eyes and threw herself on the pillow. She smiled as Naru's scent touched her nose.

Perhaps he was in the kitchen, making tea.

Mai rolled her eyes.

Naru making his own tea..? Impossible!

She sighed and noticed a paper on the sidetable. She crawled to the edge of the bed and took it.

"Out for a walk," Mai read the elegant English script. "I'll be back with breakfast."

Mai frowned.

Naru didn't even sign his name. He must have expected Mai to know his handwriting.

"Isn't it common courtesy to sign your name in a note?" Mai scolded the paper.

Then again, this was Naru, the Jerk.

Mai sighed placed the note back on the side table and threw herself on the bed.

She couldn't start packing stuff since Naru told she should do it with him around. Naru was going to buy breakfast so she can't exactly cook anything to eat.

Mai suddenly remembered Iris.

What if she called her for a little chit-chat? ...And to tell her about...the date when she and Naru would leave Amsterdam.

Mai sighed.

She would miss Iris. She would miss the narrow streets of Amsterdam. She would miss the range of houses, the scent of Amsterdam when it drizzles, the various street foods and cafes...

She would miss it like she missed England...and Japan.

Mai smirked.

Ever since she met Naru, she's been in two countries other than Japan.

She thought about calling Iris again...And Florence. How was she? Mai hadn't sent them letters since she came to Amsterdam.

Could Florence be upset with Mai because of that?

Mai sighed and shook her head. Perhaps that's what she should do while Naru was away – send Florence a letter! Wait...She should also send letters to Emi, Yui, Ayako, Bou-san, Yasuhara, Shiro-kun! And Haruka-san! And Takumi-kun...

She wondered how Takumi was. Had he really gone back to Japan?

Mai sighed again.

So who should she write to first? Or who should she call? If she wrote a letter, she would have to write down their Amsterdam address. She and Naru weren't scheduled to get out of Amsterdam until next week, since that was the only trip Naru could book them into...Where were they moving to again? Naru hadn't told her.

Unfortunately, she wasn't sure about the exact address of their house. She could direct a cab to take her to the house, but she couldn't write the address down.

She would have to ask Naru about it. Or she could just check the bills!

Mai got out of the bed and went to the study where she was sure Naru kept a stash of pen and paper,and the copies of their monthly service bills.

Perhaps she should write a letter to Emi first since Mai owed her a lot.

Then she would call Iris and meet her in the park.


	33. Chapter 33

_THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR READING AND REVIEWING 'WHERE IS HOME?' _

_AND FOR BEING **REALLY REALLY** PATIENT this week _* v *

_I still have a lot on my plate this week._

_Anyway, what **could **Takumi be doing in Amsterdam? Tut. Tut. Good question, _**FallenRaindrops**_**.**_

_And **will** Martin in deed speak with Mai in this chapter?_

_Well why don't we check it out ourselves? Here's this week's chapter. Do tell me what you think about it! _^ v ^

* * *

><p>"Your good father wants Ms. Weist and Ms. Hara to meet Mai," Naru remembered Luella tell him as he sat in the cab with a bag of apple bacon pancakes, sausages and orange juice in hand.<p>

His eyes strayed to the rural scapes gradually swallowing the cityscape as they neared the village where he spent the last few weeks in Amsterdam with Mai.

"He loves you," Luella's words echoed inside his head. "You know that, don't you?"

Of course he knew that. He knew that well. That was why he didn't confront his father. He didn't snap at him the way he would've done so if he was any other man in the world.

He kept his mouth shut. He didn't want to disrespect him.

Naru soon saw the gates of his home – the home he shared with Mai.

And sure enough he saw her standing by the mailbox - smooth legs splayed in the soft morning sun - probably checking it for utility bill mails.

Mai watched the cab stop in front of her. She saw Naru step out of the car with a bag of savory-smelling food. She greeted him with a cheery smile.

Th cab drove away as Naru approached Mai with a brow raised at her.

"You missed me already?" Naru asked, leaning his head to plant a kiss on her lips.

Mai frowned at him, but met his lips and wrapped her arms around his middle.

"I thought I allowed you to use my pants already," Naru said glaring at her exposed legs.

Mai rolled her eyes. "I wasn't planning on staying outside long," she said, covering her extremely short pair of shorts with the ends of her oversized shirt.

Naru wrapped his arm around her and led her back inside the house.

"How was your trip?" Mai asked, locking the gate behind them before they proceeded to walk to the door.

Naru raised the bag of breakfast and handed it to Mai.

"WOW!" Mai said, smelling the sweet and savoury scent of the breakfast Naru bought. "It must have been hard for you – not eating this while on your way home."

"I'm not you," Naru said opening the door and leading her inside.

"Jerk!" Mai muttered as Naru hung his coat on the rack.

They went straight to the dining table – Mai placing the food onto plates while Naru took charge of preparing the containers for the orange juice.

"So how was your morning walk?" Mai asked, slicing her share of the apple bacon pancakes. It was the first time that she was going to try it.

"Good," Naru answered, eyes fixed at his own plate.

Mai watched him for a moment, knowing his answer meant he didn't want to talk about it.

It must have involved their plan to leave Amsterdam.

"I was thinking," Mai said, prodding her pancake.

Naru looked up at her. "You **were**?"

Mai glared at him. She saw a shadow of a smirk on his lips.

She rolled her eyes, smiling. "I haven't told Iris about our plan to leave Amsterdam," she said. "So I was thinking of meeting her again today to personally tell her about it. I thought it would be better – saying it personally than just leaving her a message or calling her about it."

Naru nodded. "What time will you meet her?"

"After we finish packing," Mai said.

"Where will you meet her?"

"I was thinking about meeting her in a park," Mai said, watching Naru's face for any harsh reactions. If they were leaving Amsterdam, they were avoiding something...or **someone**...like Naru's "uncle." So meeting Iris in a park might not be something Naru would like.

Naru kept his eyes on his plate, contemplating about what Luella told him that morning.

Prof. Davis wanted Charlotte and Masako to meet Mai...show Mai how much his son deserved someone better than her.

"Naru..?"

Naru looked up at her. "About talking to strangers," he said.

Mai smiled. "I won't talk to strangers, I promise!"

Naru looked away. "It was...childish...of me."

Mai stared surprised at Naru. "Are you...apologizing?"

Naru ignored her question and stuffed his mouth with a slice of pancake.

Mai chuckled. "Aww, Naru," she crooned. "I **knew** you were being childish."

Naru glared at her.

Mai giggled. "And I also knew you were doing it to protect me."

Naru looked away and sipped his glass of juice.

Mai stood up, walked to stand behind him and slinked her arms around his neck.

Naru ruffled her hair as she pressed her warm cheek against his.

"You smell like...a woman," Mai said, sniffing his neck.

Naru froze.

His mother's perfume had that nasty habit of sticking into clothes it wasn't supposed to stick to.

"Did you-"

Mai stiffened.

Naru's lips had silenced her.

And she couldn't seem to hate him for it.

* * *

><p>"How was your morning walk?" Martin asked Luella as she sat down beside him in the couch.<p>

"Refreshing," Luella answered. Madoka was busy handling her own welcome committee. They seemed to have slipped into their room - Lin sounding like he was planning to go somewhere on his own."Madoka and I went to a café that served classic Dutch breakfast. It was very nice. Have you had your breakfast? I'm terribly sorry I couldn't wait until we got back."

"It's alright," Martin said smiling at her. "I understand. Lin and I had checked the breakfast menus ourselves. It's worth every euro."

"That's good. Have you any news on Noll?"

Martin sighed. "Well, there's how Baehler and Lin found the home he and Ms. Taniyama are staying in," he said.

Luella gasped. "They've found it?"

Martin chuckled. "Would you believe they named the house under Mr. Gignere Geest?"

Luella stared confused at him. The name rang a bell but she couldn't quite determine why-

"Mr. Geest!" she gasped, remembering Gene's lively stories about a fluffly white dog in their orphanage. Noll didn't like to talk about the dog. He wanted it to be kept a secret. But Gene, lively little Gene, spilled everything about their childhood once he realized they were already with a family they could call their own.

Martin chuckled and nodded. "Baehler and Lin didn't recognize the name, basically because they no nothing of the dog," he said. "Luckily Lin followed Taniyama to the home."

"Mai," Luella corrected.

Martin raised a brow at her. "You call Charlotte 'Ms. Weist' and Masako 'Ms. Hara.'"

Luella shrugged her shoulders. "I like saying her first name."

Martin rolled his eyes.

"So Lin followed Mai to the house," Luella prompted. She was sure Noll knew nothing of what happened since he didn't bring it up in their breakfast.

The only thing he discussed with them was seeing Lin and Baehler...and not planning to knock Mai up any time soon just to make sure he owned the remaining days of girl's life, which made Luella feel proud about raising Noll.

Martin nodded. "We're planning to visit the house," he said. "But we'll need to discuss when exactly we would pay them a surprise visit."

Luella looked away, frowning. "By **we** you mean who, exactly?"

Martin sighed.

"You, me, Lin, Madoka, Baehler," Martin answered. "And Charlotte and Masako."

Luella rolled her eyes. "You are going to lose your son."

"Not if he realizes he's wrong," Martin said.

He knew Luella met Noll and that there was a chance Luella would tell Noll about his plan. But the game of hide and seek had to come to an end.

And Luella had every right to know how he planned it to end.

"I'm going to get some fresh air," Martin said, noticing the foul mood Luella was in. He stood up and walked to the door.

"Martin, please," Luella said, eyes begging to her husband.

Martin looked at her.

"Think this over," she said. "I can't lose Noll too."

Martin sighed. "If we let this go, we **will** lose him."

"If you give her a chance, I might not lose him!"

"**Might** not, Luella," Martin said. "Do you really think Mai Taniyama will be able to live with us in England, the lowly educated girl that she is?"

Luella sighed. "Noll doesn't care."

"Well **I **do. Our relatives do. The bloody **press** will. And not even knocking her up will make anyone think theirs is a match made in heaven. You, of all people, know that."

Luella looked away. "Martin-"

"I'll be back soon," he said before he walked out of the suite.

* * *

><p>"I'm here," Takumi said, holding the phone against his ear as he stood by his window, gazing out at the buzzing city outside. "So what should I do first?"<p>

He just had his first breakfast in Amsterdam and it was an experience! Dutch food was slightly similar to English food, at least based on what he had that morning.

"I see," he said, making a mental list of the tasks he was given. "I will. I'll wait for your call then."

He put the phone down after ending the call. He took a deep breath and sighed.

He had that morning to spare.

What to do? What to do?

Takumi turned to the side table and noticed a brochure – a list of parks and tourist destinations in Amsterdam.

Takumi smiled.

He had enough money to go around some of the parks.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Mai asked, watching Naru pack the remaining clothes into the luggage.<p>

Naru told her to meet Iris that morning and just leave the packing job to him. Mai knew he must have wanted some alone time but with the stress he was hiding, she didn't think leaving him alone in the house would be a good idea.

Naru looked bored at her. "I'm not a toddler."

"I **know**," Mai said frowning at him. "I'm just-"

"Go," he said. "Buy something for lunch while you're at it."

Mai sighed and hugged him.

Naru wrapped his arms around her. "I'm fine."

Mai sighed again. "If there's one thing we have in common, it's saying 'I'm fine' when we're **not** fine."

Naru smirked. He leaned down and trailed kisses down her jaw. "Go," he whispered against her ear.

Mai smiled and looked up at him. "**Fine**. I'll go."

Naru kissed her forehead.

He would need the alone time to think – about how they should go over the possibility of Lin and Baehler finding the house since Lin might have seen Mai, about where they should go after Amsterdam...and about telling Mai everything, and making sure she wouldn't act on it the way he **knew** she would.

"I'll go call Iris," Mai said slipping away from his grasp and walking to the wall phone in the room.

Naru watched her place a call.

He suddenly felt like he needed to call Gene.

Judging by his twin's sudden absence these past weeks, it might already be too late. Gene had moved on.

Naru felt something twist inside his chest.

He suddenly wondered what would happen if he also lost Mai...again.

* * *

><p>Martin took a deep breath and sighed. He smiled at the blue sky and greenery around him.<p>

Sarphatipark wasn't as big as Beatrixpark or Vondelpark. But it was big enough for Martin to walk around in, with his age catching up to him and all.

He watched the cyclists and joggers enjoying the pleasant Amsterdam breeze and sighed as memories of him and his two sons flashed in his mind.

They were fourteen, Gene and Noll, when he invited them to jog and ride bicycles around London. Gene was always the more athletic one. Noll was physically strong but he liked reading books more than doing anything that involved moving most of his limbs.

So when they set out to jog or ride bicycles around London, Gene was the only one who was ecstatic. Noll had his sulking face on.

Martin wiped his eyes to clear his vision.

It still hurt – losing Gene. And he was sure it would hurt more – losing Noll.

But surely, it wouldn't hurt as much if he lost Noll to someone he trusted – to someone who wouldn't drag Noll into staying in the place where they lost Gene forever.

Sure, Masako Hara was Japanese. But she could stay in England, and he was sure she wouldn't mind staying in England.

He shook his head and tried not to think about everything. He was there to breathe after all.

Martin decided to sit down on one of the benches. Walking around for a couple-free bench to sit on, he spotted a somewhat familiar face...approaching a bench...

* * *

><p>Mai sighed as she sat down on the bench.<p>

She remembered Iris saying 'Sarphati' but she wasn't sure if she really meant Sarphatipark. Well Mai told her they should meet in a park. So Iris must have meant Sarphatipark...right?

Mai sighed once more, wondering how Naru was doing alone in the house.

He really seemed troubled.

She pulled out her phone and stared at its screen.

Should she call him?

He would probably say something like "childish" or she would say her name in that cold, warning tone – "Mai."

Mai frowned.

But what if Naru really needed company back at home? What if the clothes suddenly got possessed by some spirit, Naru lost his temper and kicked the pile of clothes on the ground, and the possessed pile of clothes attacked him?!

Okay. That was childish.

But what if-

"Excuse me," she suddenly heard someone say from beside her.

"Y-yes?" she asked, looking surprised at a blonde, aged Englishman suddenly standing next to the bench she was sitting on.

"I'm terribly sorry for disturbing you," the man said. "I'm not quite fluent in Dutch and...is this by any chance Sarphatipark?"

"Yes!" Mai said smiling warmly at him. "Yes, sir, this is Sarphatipark. I'm not fluent with Dutch myself but I'm quite sure this is the place."

"Ah," the Englishman said, sighing in relief. "That is good to hear. Would you mind if I take a seat here with you?"

"Oh no, not at all," Mai said. "Please sit down."

"Thank you," the man said sighing again. "You are from England?"

"Japan," Mai replied. "But I worked in England for two years."

"Oh! You don't sound like you've only stayed in England that long," the Englishman said, smiling warmly at her.

Mai smiled, blushing at the Englishman. He looked quite attractive for a mature man. He must have been a handsome debonair in his teens, like Naru.

She tried not to smile at the thought.

Would Naru look this handsome too when he reached his early fifties?

"My apologies," the Englishman said suddenly remembering something. "I haven't introduced myself! How rude of me... My name is Martin," he said, extending his hand. "Martin Davis."

"Mai," Mai said, smiling and taking Martin's hand and giving it a polite squeeze. "My name is Mai Ta- Kazuya. Mai Kazuya."

She wasn't sure if she was still supposed to hide her real name so she just gave Mr. Davis a false name.

Martin Davis raised his brows. "Mai Kazuya," he said, smiling at her. "You seem to suddenly feel uncertain about your name. I hope I'm not frightening you or anything. I mean no harm."

"Oh no, it's just that...I...just got married," Mai said, cheeks blushing.

"Oh!" Martin said chuckling. "...Still adjusting with the new surname."

"Y-yes," Mai said, looking shyly away.

"That's alright. My wife took six months to finally get used to using my last name," Martin said winking at her.

Mai chuckled.

So Noll was using 'Kazuya' as a surname. And he married Mai Taniyama? Interesting.

Very interesting.

"So you are here on a honeymoon," Martin said. "You are waiting for him?"

"Oh no," Mai answered. "I'm waiting to meet a friend of ours. What about you? You're here for a vacation?"

Martin gave an exasperated sigh. "I wish I was," he sadly said.

Mai looked curiously at him. "What's wrong, Mr. Davis?"

"I'm looking for my son," Martin said watching Mai carefully. "He ran away, with a woman who coaxed him to elope with her."

Mai gasped. "No way! That's horrible! And you haven't heard from him since?" she sadly asked.

"Yes," Martin answered. "We don't think she's fit to be with him. She's not even half the person my son is. That is why the woman told him to take her away – that they run away from us...that he leave his family."

Mai's eyes saddened.

"If you were that woman," Martin began. "Would you tell my son to go home to us?"

"...Of course!" Mai resolutely said. "I lost my parents when I was young. And I still miss having them around. I still wish I can be with them. I'm sure your son misses you too, and it makes him sad to be away from you. So to not tell him to go home to you is just **wrong**! If she really loves him, she would understand his need to be with his family. She would accept and respect you as his parents, and she would respect his right to be with you."

Martin's eyes narrowed as he gazed at Mai's face.

"So your son is here in Amsterdam?" she asked.

"Yes," Martin answered. "That is...what I heard."

Mai smiled. "Perhaps my friend and I can help you look for him! The friend I'm waiting for owns a shop in Lindengracht and several markets here in Amsterdam," she said. "Do you have a picture of him with you?"

Martin checked his pockets.

As a matter of fact he did. He didn't leave the house without it – Noll's picture, with Gene and Luella's tucked neatly in his wallet.

He gasped. "Oh dear...I think I dropped it." He looked up at Mai. "Is it okay if I just give you a description of him? Tall man, black hair, blue eyes...He's...around your age."

Mai froze for a moment before she burst into chuckles. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you're looking for my husband!"

Martin smiled. "Then you must have quite a handsome husband, Mrs. Kazuya."

Before Mai could reply, she heard Iris call from a distance.

She turned around and saw her prancing down the path.

"That must be your friend," Martin said.

"Yes," Mai said smiling at him. "That's Iris."

"I should be going now," Martin said as he stood up from his seat.

"Oh," Mai said sadly. "I'll tell Iris about your son then."

"Thank you," he said smiling warmly at her. "This is my number," he said giving her a card.

"Ah yes," Mai said standing up and taking the card. "I hope you see your son soon. And that you speak with the woman! Perhaps she just misunderstood your intentions."

Martin nodded. "Yes," he said. "Perhaps it was all...just a misunderstanding. I wish good health to you and your child."

Mai's cheeks blushed. "Thank you," she said shyly. "I know this sounds a bit odd but...my husband and I believe...it's too early for us to have one."

Martin raised his brows at her for a moment before he smiled again. "You're going to provide for yourselves first?"

Mai nodded.

Martin chuckled and nodded back.

"MAI!" Iris' voice echoed from behind Mai.

She turned her head and greeted Iris. "Hey! You're early," she teased.

Iris chuckled. "Sorry. Seemed like you had company though."

"Yeah this is-" Mai said, turning to introduce Martin to Iris.

But he had already left.

"Aww he had to leave already?"

Mai sighed and looked at Iris. "He's looking for his son," she said.

"Really?" Iris asked, raising a brow at her. "First a mafia-man looking for your husband approached me. Now a man looking for his son approached **you**. What's next? A random guy asking your husband for a pet dog?"

Mai stared at Iris before bursting into laughter. Iris laughed with her.

It **was **odd, wasn't it? Add to that what Naru told her about talking to strangers!

Mai stiffened.

"_...My name is Martin," he said, extending his hand. "Martin Davis."_

_"Naru..?"_

"_Who..?" Florence asked looking at the picture. "Oh!" she excitedly said. "That's Dr. Oliver Davis!"_

"_Is it okay if I just give you a description of him? Tall man, black hair, blue eyes...He's...around your age."_

_Mai froze for a moment before she burst into chuckles. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you're looking for my husband!"_

_Martin smiled. "Then you must have quite a handsome husband, Mrs. Kazuya."_

Mai looked down at the card Martin gave her. It had his name –Martin Davis – and his phone number.

What were the odds...that the man she spoke with could be...

NO.

She didn't force Naru to run away. Naru **'kidnapped'** her.

"Mai?"

"I think I want ice cream," Mai anxiously said.

Iris smirked. "AHA! You two got down and dirty last night, didn't you?"

* * *

><p>Naru heard the bells from the gate ring.<p>

He sighed and ran down the stairs, thinking it was the delivery man with the package he was expecting to receive that day.

He ran to the gate and unlocked it without a second thought.

"Noll."

Naru froze. He stiffly looked up and saw a towering Chinese man standing beyond the gate.

"May I have a word with you?" Lin asked.

* * *

><p>Charlotte sat in a restaurant – a copy of the newspaper page that published her engagement with Noll in her hands.<p>

They were going to meet him soon. The professor said he would have his wife and Madoka agree to a schedule.

And she was going to face Mai Taniyama.

She sighed at her photograph with Noll. Whoever took it was a genius. It didn't look like Noll was giving her instructions about a university project.

"Ms. Weist," a bodyguard who went to Amsterdam with her said, tapping her shoulder.

She raised an elegantly curved brow at him.

"I believe that is Ms. Mai Taniyama over there," he said pointing a brown-haired girl eating ice cream while walking down across the street.

Charlotte gasped, seeing Mai talking to a Dutch-looking girl beside her.

This could be her chance! She could face her right then and there, and make her feel the pain that she felt when Noll vanished!

Charlotte froze. Her eyes slowly looked down at the newspaper page in her hand.

Telling someone about your pain doesn't make its listener **feel** your pain.

Charlotte smirked. She crumpled the page, and quickly folded it into a small piece of paper. "Slip this into her pant pocket," she said eyeing the black pair of Capri pants Mai was wearing. "Make sure she takes it home with her."

The bodyguard nodded and swiftly slipped out of the restaurant.

Charlotte watched her bodyguard 'accidentally' bump into Mai. He apologized afterwards and quickly ran back to the restaurant.

Mai and her friend only stared confused at her bodyguard for a moment – the paper already tucked in Mai's pocket.

Charlotte smiled as the bodyguard returned to stand beside her. She quickly slipped fifty-euros in his pocket.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you didn't lose anything?" Iris asked Mai as they stood by the road.<p>

The strange man who bumped into them vanished into the restaurant.

"Yes," Mai said, feeling her wallet and mobile phone still in her pockets. "I think it really was just an accident."

Iris sighed. "Hopefully, you're right. Now how about we-"

"MAI!"

Mai and Iris stiffened.

"MAI!"

They turned to look at who it was.

Mai gasped.

"TAKUMI-KUN!"


	34. Chapter 34

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing "Where is home?"_

_Aww...You just made me blush, _**mr. flakey **^ v ^ _LOL_

_And again, what **is** Takumi doing in Amsterdam? Hmm..._

_Here's this week's chapter. Do read and review. _* v * _Tah!_

* * *

><p>"Iris, this is Takumi," Mai said, introducing Takumi who sat beside her.<p>

They took a seat in a nearby bench to talk.

"Takumi, this is Iris," Mai said smiling at Takumi.

Takumi smiled warmly at Iris. "Nice to meet you," he said bowing slightly.

Iris smiled back, but kept a wary eye at Takumi.

Mai started to make small talk with him, Takumi's eyes sparkling with excitement with every glance of Mai he took.

Iris didn't like it. Surely Mai could feel it – what Takumi was doing to her. Or could she?

Iris sighed.

"So you're friends with Mai's husband too?" Takumi heard Iris ask.

He was busy telling Mai about his trip back to Japan from England when Iris asked him the question. "Husband..?" he asked, everything around him suddenly coming to a stop.

"Uh y-yeah!" Mai said, her cheeks flushed in a deep shade of red.

Takumi raised a brow at her.

Mai and Naru were married?! He remembered being tasked to get falsified documents that made Naru and Mai a married couple…BUT HE DIDN'T THINK NARU WOULD MAKE IT OFFICIAL!

"N-Naru," Mai said looking shyly at Takumi. "You remember Naru, right?"

"Y-yeah," Takumi said, a little too disappointed for Iris' liking. "So you two…tied the knot, huh?"

"Yes," Iris proudly said. "They are here on a honeymoon, right Mai?"

"Y-yes," Mai answered. "Um, s-so how is Japan?" she asked, trying to change the topic of the conversation. She would have to explain everything to Takumi when they were alone.

"The weather's a bit colder now," Takumi said, trying hard not to show how the news broke his heart. "So are you two going back to Japan?"

"Um-"

"I think they're planning on going around Europe for their honeymoon, yes?" Iris said, winking at Mai.

Mai was stiff and red. "Uh y-yes…something of the sort,"she mumbled. She was too surprised at seeing Takumi and telling him she was married to realize what she should do. "So you're here on business?"

Takumi nodded. "Yes...Something like that."

"What do you mean?" Iris asked curiously. "You're employed under what company?"

Takumi stared at her. The Dutch woman was being hostile. Was she supposed to be Mai's bodyguard?

"I was hired to do a special project here," Takumi said. "…Study Amsterdam as a place for a company expansion."

"Oh wow!" Mai exclaimed. "You've gone a long way, haven't you?"

Takumi smiled at her. "You can say that," he said.

"I'm proud of you," Mai said, giving him the smile he longed to see.

Takumi smirked.

"Naru would surely be proud of you too," Iris interjected.

"Y-yes," Mai agreed, nodding stiffly.

Naru and Takumi didn't exactly seem to like each other. But perhaps Naru's outlook for Takumi would change once he heard the news. Then Naru would be proud of him too…right?

Takumi frowned at Iris.

Iris raised a brow at him.

Mai looked at both of them.

Takumi just smiled at Mai again.

"Hey, Takumi," Iris said. "Would you be a dear and buy me and Mai another round of ice cream? I'll pay you when you come back."

Mai gasped.

Takumi's brow twitched. "Sure," he said smiling widely at her.

"N-no, it's okay," Mai said trying to stop Takumi as he stood up from his seat.

"No, it's alright," Takumi said smiling at Mai. "I was thinking of buying some for the three of us anyway. I'll go ahead. Chocolate sorbet for you..?"

"Raspberry for me," Iris said smiling widely at him.

"Sure," Takumi said smiling widely at Iris. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Mai and Iris watched Takumi walk to an ice cream stand nearby.

"Ouch!" Mai exclaimed, feeling someone pinch her arm.

"Who the hell was that?" Iris hissed.

"He's a friend of mine," Mai answered. "…And Naru's."

"Oh yeah, that fooled me," Iris sneered rolling her eyes. "He was all over you. He courted you before, didn't he?"

"W-What?"

"Oh come on, Mai!" Iris hissed. "Didn't you see how he flirted with you? Or how he looked like a broken hearted puppy when he learned that you were married?"

Mai sighed and looked away. Takumi had always joked around with her, telling her he would marry her and provide for her but they were all just jokes – nothing serious...none of them true. And it wasn't like Takumi didn't have a love life of his own. He'd been with several women back in Japan.

He was…a 'flirt' as her co-workers in the market would put it. He liked to charm women, but it didn't exactly mean that he was into them.

"Mai, I know I have no right to stop you from doing anything in your life," Iris said. "But I just want you to know what is going on, since you seem too clueless for your own good."

Mai smiled at Iris. "Thank you," she said.

Iris smirked. "So if this Takumi-guy tried to date you, would you give him a chance?"

Mai's cheeks burned.

* * *

><p>Noll and Lin walked down the path several paces away from the house. Lin invited him for a walk. Noll obliged, knowing there wasn't much that he could do.<p>

"She's not at home?" Lin asked – his eyes fixed on the path.

The leaves of the trees forming a canopy over the path rustled with the soft breeze.

"She's out with a friend," Noll answered.

Lin nodded. "So you two are married."

Noll didn't answer. He knew Lin got the information from asking around Lindengracht.

"What's her reaction to Ms. Weist?" Lin asked.

Noll scowled.

"Does she know about Ms. Hara?"

"Why exactly are we having this conversation?" Noll asked, glaring at the path.

Lin looked up at the dancing leaves.

"Your father's here," Lin said. "Madoka and Luella have told you about it, yes?"

Noll raised a brow at him.

"The professor knows they are trying to help you," Lin said. "But that doesn't mean they're on your father's side."

"And what side would you be in?"

Lin stayed silent, listening to the humming breeze and their silent foot falls. "Until when are you planning to run?"

"How open to the idea is my father now?"

Lin sighed. "Not very much."

"There you have it."

Lin nodded. "How would you think Mai would react to knowing about Ms. Weist?"

"She's not a social-climbing bint," Noll hissed.

"Is that why you're keeping her in the dark?"

"Why are you asking me these questions?" Noll snapped – stopping to face Lin.

"I'm asking them because I want to know the answers."

"**You already know the answers!**"

"**No I don't!**" Lin snapped back.

The leaves rustled loudly in the trees.

"Until when are you planning to keep this lie about you deciding to move out here in Amsterdam to have a new life with her?" Lin angrily asked. "Until when are you planning to keep the truth about you being engaged to another woman?"

Noll glared at Lin. "Shut it! I know what I'm doing. I'll tell her everything when it's time to tell her everything!"

"She needs to know about it now!"

"So you can take me back to London?" Noll asked. "**I thought you understood me!**"

"**I work for your father!**"

Noll clenched his fists – his blue eyes keeping the icy glare at Lin.

Lin sighed and looked away.

The leaves sang a gloomy tune.

"I'm not going to take you away," Lin said. "Not yet."

Noll turned away and headed back to the house.

Lin watched him leave. "Tell her, Noll! Tell her before the professor does!"

Noll kept on walking until he reached the gate. He went inside the house, locking the door behind him. He ran up the stairs…down the hall…to the bedroom he shared with Mai…into their bathroom.

He opened the faucet and washed his face with the icy water.

His chest felt heavy…too heavy for his liking. He looked up at his reflection on the mirror. He could see anger in his blue eyes…frustration…fright…pain…

What bothered him most with all that was happening wasn't how he and Mai would escape – it was how to tell her everything, without pushing her away.

_"Until when are you planning to keep this lie about you deciding to move out here in Amsterdam to have a new life with her?"_

That wasn't even what Mai knew! He told her he was in Amsterdam for a bloody vacation! And learning about Lin…She probably thought he was hiding from bad people…who were actually his parents trying to put some sense into his stubborn head.

He knew…He just knew Mai would think too much about it. She would push herself away, just like when they were in Japan. He would lose her again. He would find himself in that bench once more…in that horrible, rain-drenched bench with nothing but the memories he had of her.

He had everything planned to the very last detail. But how sure was he that everything would go well? What if she decided to move on for his sake? What if she did the most logical choice?

Noll could differentiate the tears from the drops of the icy water on his reflection.

He had been so selfish…so selfish…

Noll looked down at the sink.

"Can you see me, Gene?" he whispered. "Can you see me?" He looked up at the mirror and touched his reflection. "Can you see how miserable I am – the cost of this happiness I've taken for myself?"

But he only saw his wretched face.

* * *

><p>"Feel better?" Luella asked as Martin walked into the suite.<p>

Martin nodded, glancing at Luella who was standing by their bedroom door. He had been thinking about his conversation with Mai Taniyama since he left the park. And seeing Luella's anxious face made him wonder if he should tell her about it.

Luella approached him.

Martin knew the expression on her face. Luella had always been perceptive, something women were by nature, according to the studies he had read.

She looked at his eyes, knowing that he already knew what she wanted to ask.

Martin sighed and shook his head. "I thought you hate me."

"I do," Luella answered, fixing the collar of his shirt. "But I don't averse you. There's a difference."

Martin smirked and pulled Luella into a tight embrace. "So you can still forgive me for anything I would do," he whispered.

Luella sighed and wrapped her arms around his middle. "That depends on how idiotic that thing you will be doing will be."

Martin chuckled and kissed her forehead. He leaned away and looked at Luella's face. "Do you think our son would find someone like you for a wife?"

"Goodness, Martin," Luella muttered, scowling at him. "His life would be as bad as yours is now if that happened."

Martin chuckled and nodded. "It's not that bad though," he said sighing. "…Having an insane, scheming woman like you as my wife."

Luella smiled. "It's not bad either," she said. "…Having an idiot like you for a husband."

Martin frowned.

It was Luella's turn to chuckle. "You're not going to tell me anything, are you?"

Martin shook his head. "But I'm telling you I need to jog more," he said. "I can't for the life of me catch up with those bloody joggers anymore."

Luella laughed.

* * *

><p>"I hope you don't think badly about Iris," Mai said shyly in Japanese as she walked with Takumi to the bus station.<p>

Iris received a call from her mother, telling her to fetch something for the store. She unhappily told Mai she would need to leave. Takumi took it as an opportunity to speak with Mai alone.

Iris was about to tell Mai she would get her a cab when Takumi insisted that he walk with her to the bus station, since he was going to pass by one, on his way to an office he was scheduled to visit.

Iris was about to protest when Mai agreed to what Takumi wanted. So there they were, walking down the side walk and heading for the bus station several blocks away.

"She's really kind and sweet once you get to know her," Mai said.

"Sure," Takumi sneered. "She practically barred her fangs at me. And they're pretty huge."

Mai sighed.

"She's that much of a fan of NaMai, huh?"

Mai raised a brow at him.

"Naru-Mai couple," Takumi explained. "…You and your husband." He practically spit the word 'husband.'

Mai sighed again and looked away. "Yeah, about that…it's…not true."

Takumi raised a brow at her.

Mai shrugged her shoulders, her cheeks blushing at the memory of how Iris learned she was married. "Things…just got out of hand," she said.

"So you're not Mrs. Kazuya?" Takumi asked.

Mai chuckled. "No. I'm legally still Taniyama Mai."

Takumi hid a proud grin. "And…Iris doesn't know?"

Mai nodded. "It just looked odd for other people if we stayed in one house and we weren't married," she explained.

Takumi smirked. "You didn't share the bed with him though, did you?" he teased. "So there's nothing wrong with-"

The bright red tint on Mai's face made Takumi stop.

Mai shyly looked up at him.

He quickly grabbed her shoulders and pinned her against the adjacent wall. "Did he force you? Did he force himself into you?" he anxiously asked. "Did he threaten you?"

"What-No!" Mai immediately said. "No, Takumi-kun! He didn't! He's not like that!"

Takumi sighed in relief and let her go. "Sorry," he said brushing his hair and looking away in shame. "I just… I just thought he…Well…"

Mai sighed. "It's okay," she replied. She looked down at the pavement, thinking of how to tell him what else he needed to know.

Takumi smiled. "So you're not married," he said. "You're still sing-"

"Not really," Mai muttered.

Takumi stiffened. "You're…"

Mai looked up at him and nodded. "Naru and I are...together."

Takumi felt something inside him crumble as he stared at Mai's anxious face.

What exactly did he expect? They didn't just share a room, **they shared a bed**! And Naru was Naru! Mai was…Mai…

He looked away as his vision blurred. He chuckled, wiping his face with his hand. Then he began to laugh out loud.

"Takumi-kun..?" Mai asked worried at what he was doing. She hadn't seen him act that way before.

"_Oh come on, Mai!" Iris hissed. "Didn't you see how he flirted with you? Or how he looked like a broken hearted puppy when he learned that you were married?"_

Mai swallowed. Did she hurt Takumi's feelings? Did she hurt her friend?

Takumi sighed as he calmed down. He looked at Mai with a wide smile on his face. "Then there's a chance you'll be Mrs. Kazuya soon," he jested.

Mai smiled. He was okay. Iris was overthinking things. Takumi wasn't into her. "Shut up," she snapped, feigning a frown.

Takumi chuckled. "So I can't ask you out to dinner now," he said resuming their walk. "…Without asking permission from your boyfriend."

Mai raised a brow at him. "We're friends, Takumi-kun. And he knows you. He wouldn't mind."

"So he won't be threatened if I treat you out to dinner?" Takumi asked, smirking at her.

"_So if this Takumi-guy tried to date you, would you give him a chance?"_

Mai shook the thought away. Takumi was her friend. It was a dinner, not a date.

"Well you did promise me you'll treat me to dinner when you get rich," she said. "And you got here in Amsterdam. So you should be pretty rich enough to keep that promise!"

Takumi chuckled. "Fine," he said. "So do I pick you up at you and your boyfriend's house so I can ask for his permission? Or do I just meet you somewhere?"

"You can just meet me somewhere," Mai said smiling at him. "I'll just tell Naru I'll meet you. He'll be okay with it."

"How sure exactly are you that he'll be okay with it? I mean, I'm a man asking his girlfriend out for dinner."

Mai rolled her eyes. "You're not just a man, Takumi-kun," she said. "You're my friend. You're Naru's friend too. I told him how you did everything to keep me from ending up as a prostitute back in England. And he was really impressed with you."

Takumi smirked. "Really?"

So Mai still didn't know about the schemes Naru did to get her out of England – to take her to Amsterdam.

He sighed. She might not even know about Naru's engagement yet.

"Hey Mai," he began.

"Yes?" she asked, eyes on the path that lead to the station. They were just a block away from their destination.

"You're sure you want to be with Naru?" Takumi asked. "I'm not saying he's not worth your time or anything. It's just that…well… He lives in England. And you live in Japan. I'm just worried about where you two are going to stay when you get hitched. Are you going to stay here in Amsterdam when you get married? Are you going to stay in England with your in-laws? Are you going to leave Japan for good?"

Mai stiffened and looked away. She hadn't thought that far ahead. Perhaps it was because she was too busy trying to worry about what Naru was going through.

"Hey, I'm not trying to upset you here," Takumi said, taking Mai's hand in his as he looked at her blank face.

Mai looked up at him.

"His parents probably doesn't have a problem with your arrangements but-"

Mai looked away.

Takumi smirked. She hadn't met the Davis couple. "Hey," he whispered. "You've…met his parents already, right?"

Mai shook her head, a smile on her face. "We're just a few weeks in so…Not yet," she answered. She **did **wonder if Naru would introduce her to his family though. She had met Gene. She had seen that man who presented himself to Iris as Naru's uncle.

Why didn't Naru tell her about him? Why didn't Naru tell her about his parents?

NO. They were just a few weeks in the relationship. It would be weird if…if they met her that early…

Takumi smiled. "You're right," he said. "It would just be weird if you met them already."

Mai nodded and kept her eyes on the path.

"Anyway, how about I just get your number? So I can call you for that free dinner," Takumi said.

Mai chuckled. "Sure," she said as they stopped at the bus station.

"Great!" Takumi exclaimed, pulling out his mobile phone.

Mai pulled out her own mobile phone from her pocket, dragging with it a piece of folded newspaper.

Takumi saw the paper fall on the concrete pavement. "Oops!" he said picking the paper up. "You dropped this," he said handing the paper to Mai.

"Oh!" Mai said staring confused at the paper. She didn't remember slipping it in her pocket that day. "Thanks," she said slipping the paper back into her pocket. It must have been a coupon of sorts that she had forgotten about.

"So your number?" Takumi asked.

Mai smiled and gave him her mobile number. She in turn saved his mobile number in her own phone.

As soon as they were done saving each other's numbers, the bus arrived.

Takumi sighed. "Well, I'll see you for dinner!"

Mai chuckled. "Of course! You're going to pay for it!"

Takumi rolled his eyes and watched her ride the bus with a smile on his face. He didn't leave the station until the bus drove away.

He took a deep breath and sighed.

Yup. Mai was **his** this time.

* * *

><p>"You're with Baehler right now?" Madoka asked from the other line.<p>

"Yes," Lin answered, holding his mobile phone against his ear. He stood behind a tree near the wall that surrounded Noll and Mai's house. He decided to stay in the area and see how Noll and Mai's relationship was.

It was more like his gossiper side kicking in, but to persuade his logical side to snoop around, he thought it would be better if he knew how Noll and Mai really were. Perhaps seeing it for himself would help him decide what he should do next.

So he climbed over the wall and hid himself by the gate to wait for her.

"I'll be back for a late lunch," Lin said, checking his watch. "But don't wait for me."

He could imagine Madoka frowning from the other line. "Then you have to promise you'll let me watch you have lunch."

It was Lin's turn to frown. "Fine," he said. "Wait for me. I'll be on my way back."

Madoka chuckled. "I'll see you soon then!"

With that, the call ended. Lin sighed and slipped the phone back into his pocket.

...Guess he wouldn't be able to see what he was there to see...

He leaned away from the tree and was about to climb over the wall when he spotted Mai, walking down the path that led to the gate – a bag of take away food in hand.

Lin hid himself near the tree, and watched her open the gate.

Mai closed the gate behind her and trotted to the door. She took a deep breath before she held the door knob.

She still couldn't shake the conversation she had with Takumi out of her mind. She felt an urge to bombard Naru with questions, but she knew it wouldn't be fair on his part and wouldn't be wise on hers.

She knew Naru was going through some very tough times at that moment. And she didn't want to lose him.

Lin watched Mai open the door and walk inside the house.

"Tadaima!" she greeted, locking the door behind her.

Lin immediately sneaked to the side of the house, watching Mai from a lobby window.

Mai heard some foot falls upstairs.

She sighed. Naru was probably in the office, still fixing things.

"I forgot to buy lunch back in the town," Mai said, walking to the kitchen. "But I bought lunch on that restaurant nearby. Their food was okay when we ate there before."

Lin sneaked to stand by a kitchen window, watching Mai put the bag on the counter as foot falls echoed from the stairs.

Mai hummed to herself as she placed the food on the plates.

She suddenly felt her phone vibrate against her pocket.

She fished her phone out dragging with it the piece of folded newspaper Takumi told her fell from her pocket.

"Oh!" she said, picking the paper up from the floor. She still couldn't remember what it was supposed to be so she unfolded the paper.

Lin saw Naru walking down the lobby to the kitchen. He turned his head to see Mai unfolding a crumpled newspaper page. His brows furrowed as the page looked somewhat...familiar.

Mai raised her brows as a torn front page of an English tabloid stared back at her.

Naru saw Mai standing by the kitchen counter.

Lin was right. He should tell her. He should tell her now.

Mai read the news article on the crumpled newspaper page

…Oliver Davis…to wed Science Minister's Daughter…

She read the texts, the story, and the supposed announcement of the engagement. She turned the page and saw a picture of Oliver talking intimately to his fiancée…his **beautiful British fiancée**.

Tears slid down her cheeks.

They ran away so Oliver could escape the wedding. He took her with him so he could have a reason to stop the engagement.

Oliver didn't love her afterall.

Lin froze as he got a glance at the picture on the page.

Where could she have gotten the paper? It was an English tabloid for goodness' sake? Could anyone in their group have given the paper?

Naru slinked his arms around Mai's waist. "Okaerinasai," he whispered, trailing kisses from her neck to her jaw.

Then his blue eyes caught the trembling newspaper page Mai held in front of her.

He stiffened as he felt her shoulders shiver…her chest heave…

"Mai, I can explain," she heard Naru say from behind her.

But she couldn't move. She wanted to listen to him…or did she?

Lin saw desperation on Noll's face – the same desperation he had when they found Mai almost dead in the Norringbent mansion.

Naru turned her around by the waist to make her face him. The tears streaming down her cheeks stung him.

"Mai, please," his said, his voice breaking. "I can explain. Listen to me."

Mai forced her self to look up at his face, but her body was just too stiff and shaky with crying that she could only close her eyes.

Lin watched Noll hold Mai's cheeks in his hands… kiss her gently…fervently…pleadingly…

"Mai please," Noll whispered. "Please, I can explain."

Mai slowly looked up at him – her brown eyes showing nothing but heartbreak.

Naru embraced her tightly. She could feel his cheek against her own…his breath against his ear as he whispered words she, for the life of her, couldn't seem to understand anymore.

Everything just seemed too blurry…

"Mai, please," Naru whispered, kissing her neck, her jaw, her cheeks, her nose, her forehead. "Please let me explain."

Mai closed her eyes again. What should she do?

She suddenly felt his lips against hers once more. It took everything she had to keep herself from kissing back.

But she gave in.

Naru sighed in relief. He broke the kiss and looked her in the eye. "I will tell you everything."


	35. Chapter 35

_Terribly sorry. I've been in so much mental, physical and emotional stress this week that I was really planning on not uploading anything this week. I tried, I don't exactly what day, but I messed it up. So I just took the post down a second after I did the upload. _

_I haven't read my emails yet, both here and in my email address so sorry if didn't reply to any message you may have sent. I still don't have that much time on my hands today so I'll do the explaining part when I get enough of a breather to compose my thoughts and draft my answers. _

_Anyway, here's the supposed chapter for this week. It's supposed to reach around 4k words but I don't have enough time to edit it all again before the upload so I just cut the content down to 3350 words. _

_Thanks for your patience!_

* * *

><p>Mai stared at the screen of her mobile phone as she sat alone in one of the tables of De Kas. She reached the restaurant an hour and half before she should be there.<p>

"De Kas, later at 6?" Mai read the message for the 20th time, still unable to understand it.

Her thoughts kept coming back to her conversation with Naru…to the article she read on the piece of crumpled newspaper page…to the image of Naru with his fiancée, which she wouldn't have seen if she didn't receive the very message she was reading.

She remembered how Naru sat in front of her in the dining room – his hand holding hers the whole time…his blue eyes looking straight at her, showing her his most vulnerable side yet…

"Charlotte Weist was once a student of mine," she heard Naru's voice ring in her memory. "She's the daughter of the Science Minister in England. Her father and my father were…good…friends. They agreed to arrange a marriage between me and Charlotte. But that was two years **after** I met you," he said squeezing her hand to make a point. "I was looking for you. My parents had detectives hired to assist me because I looked pretty desperate back then."

This got surprised Mai. For Naru to say something like that about himself seemed...just...shocking.

"But after two years of learning nothing about your whereabouts, they decided it would be best if I moved on," he continued – his blue eyes showing so many emotions Mai couldn't believe was possible for an Oliver Davis. "...If they helped me move on. Since I knew Charlotte in a way, and she her family was a friend to ours-"

"And she's a great scientist like you," she interjected, making Naru heavily sigh.

"And she's a scientist like me," he said. "They figured she would be…a good…"

"Wife to you," she finished.

Naru shook his head and looked down at her hands, a scowl on his face. "They're being unreasonable!" he hissed, anger tainting his voice. "I'm twenty-one! I'm old enough to live on my own, let alone choose my bride!"

He looked up at her. "I told them but they wouldn't listen," he said, the blue in his eyes suddenly making her feel desperate and in pain. "Then I saw you again. I wanted to tell them about you but…I didn't tell them everything that happened to us back in Japan – how you got hospitalized because you waited for me in the rain, how you took me to the place where I found Gene…how **you** found Gene."

Naru paused and Mai watched him think of the right words to say what he was about to tell her.

"I was so frightened," he almost whispered – his eyes moist. "I was so frightened that they would accuse you of killing him that I decided not to talk about Japan when I came back to England. They're SPR, sure, but it doesn't mean that they'll believe just about anyone who tells them they met their deceased son in their dreams."

Naru looked down at her hands again, but Mai knew it was more because of shame than to hide something from her.

"And it scared me," he breathlessly said. "...How they would react about your connection with him. They would have you interrogated by authorities, force you to take medical and psychological examinations, make you take tests to prove you could really talk to dead people... And you don't deserve that torture, Mai." He looked up at her again. "I didn't believe you deserve it…for helping me and my brother…for being you."

Mai closed her eyes. She didn't hate him. She couldn't hate him. If she was in his place, she might have done the same thing to protect him…to keep him safe…

"I'm sorry," Naru whispered, raising her hands to his lips and kissing her fingers. "I should have told them, but I couldn't. When I saw you again, I wanted them to meet you. I **really** did. I'd be a liar if I told you that I didn't think introducing you to them would save me from marrying Charlotte. It crossed my mind. It crossed my mind so many times I almost thought it was right. But it wasn't...at least not for me."

He looked down at her hands again – his fingers massaging her palm. "I wanted to take you home and have you with us for dinner. I wanted to tell them your name and what you've done for us, and how...you've taught me things I never thought I would learn. And I wanted them to look at you as how I first saw you – the girl who was idiot enough to save a stranger from a car wreck, and share her home with a jerk," he said looking up at her once more.

Mai frowned and glared at him.

This made Naru smirk.

"But if I introduced you to them back then, they would only see you as someone I was using to escape the engagement," he said. "They would never take me seriously. And my father made that point clear. He told me they would never accept someone other than the likes of Charlotte as my bride. And so would the rest of our family."

Mai looked down. She felt his cold fingers squeeze her hands.

"I don't want them to hurt you," he softly said. "Gene and I had been there. We weren't really related to them. So they didn't accept us the way they would have done so with our parent's biological child...if my parents had any. It took us years to earn their respect. My irritation and hatred for their judicious ways to me and Gene took me to where I am now...to the Naru you met back in Japan...to the jerk talking to you now."

Mai looked up at him.

"I chose to deal with all of it this way as my brother chose the other," Naru said. "I'm not saying you won't survive it. I just don't know what I'll do if they treat you the same way."

Mai sighed and looked down at her hands.

"I know I was being a coward," he continued. "I was being foolish and untrusting but…I just couldn't risk it."

Naru took a deep breath. "My parents had that trash printed when they realized that I met you again," he said, glaring at the newspaper page that broke her. "Perhaps they were hoping you would see it…like you just did."

Mai pulled her hand away and wiped her tears.

Naru pulled her hand away from her face and held them in his grasp. "I'm sorry. I know these won't mean much but I really am. I should have told you this before, but fear just got over me."

Mai looked at him. He was worried...distressed...pained. "Why are we in Amsterdam?" she asked.

"I ran away," Naru answered looking straight into her brown eyes. "I ran away from my parents. I wasn't supposed to. But Oswald said he was planning on taking you to France with the rest of his household. I was being selfish as usual. I didn't want you to move away from me. Not again. It would have been difficult for me – visiting you in France. What with all the things my parents are making me do for the engagement..."

Mai wanted to roll her eyes. Of course it was his ego that brought them there.

"I just didn't want to live away from you," he said. "So I told him I'll take you under my care."

"He lent you the house," she whispered.

Naru nodded.

"You had Florence and everyone else on the plan, but not me."

"Would you have cooperated if I did?"

Mai frowned and looked away. They had that conversation before and the answer of course was 'no.' Even if it would crush her, she would do it…for his sake – to keep his family whole.

Mai sighed. "I'm really not good for you," she breathed.

Naru glared coldly at her.

Mai looked up, feeling his intense glare and chuckled.

Naru's eyes softened. He pulled her to sit on his lap.

Mai obliged, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face on his shoulder.

Naru held her closer, kissing her shoulder, burying his face into her hair...

"That man Iris spoke with," Mai whispered. "He's your uncle."

"No," Naru said. "He works for my father."

Mai sighed again and closed her eyes.

They were going away from Amsterdam because his father had found them...in a way.

She felt his warm breath against her neck.

"How long are we going to keep running away from them?"

Naru sighed this time. "Until I'm sure he'll let us be."

She felt something twinge in her chest. She remembered Mr. Davis, the man she met in the park. What if he was Naru's dad? Naru's family must be worried sick about him!

…And she was keeping him away from them.

"Mai," Takumi's voice broke the memory flashing back into Mai's consciousness.

"Takumi-kun," she acknowledged, smiling back at the man sitting in front of her in the table.

Takumi frowned. "What happened?"

"W-What do you me-"

"I've been sitting here for the past minute," Takumi said. "And I've been trying to call you attention since I came here. What happened?"

Mai shyly looked away.

"You and Naru had a fight..?"

"No," Mai said. "Not…really."

"Tell me what happened then."

Mai sighed and looked down at her phone. "Um…Remember…what you told me about…his parents and…me not meeting them?"

Takumi stiffened. "You asked him about it?"

"No," Mai said shaking her head and smiling slightly at him. "That piece of paper you told me that fell from my pocket this morning…"

Takumi slowly nodded, telling her to continue.

Mai looked up at him. "It was a page from a newspaper," Mai said, trying to smile. "It had an article about Naru's engagement with a British scientist."

Takumi stiffened.

Surely Naru didn't slip the paper into Mai's pocket. It would ruin everything he had planned! Unless that **was** the plan…but that would be **insane** and **mean**! He knew Mai well, didn't he? He would know how much it would hurt her!

"You're sure it's him?" Takumi asked.

Mai gave a sad smile. "Naru admitted it was him," she said. "Please don't get mad at him though. He…didn't want to get married to his fiancée. It was arranged by his parents."

"So let me get this straight," Takumi said. "He basically ran away from his marriage to be with you? But he left you in the dark about his engagement?"

Mai nodded. "He was trying to protect me," she said. "His family…wouldn't accept me," she whispered.

Takumi gave a long sigh and looked away.

So Mai already knew. Not all though, since she was still that open to him.

"So what are you going to do now?" Takumi asked.

Mai shrugged her shoulders, her eyes fixed at her phone.

Takumi rolled his eyes. "Okay, wrong question," he said. "What do you **want** to do now?"

Mai looked up at him.

They stared at each other for a moment.

Takumi smirked. "Let's get this date finished first," he said, taking Mai's hand in his. "Thinking with your stomach full is better than thinking with your stomach empty."

Mai smiled.

* * *

><p>Lin sat on the porch and stared at the darkness swallowing the lawn.<p>

When Mai left the house, he quickly knocked on Naru's door, knowing his charge would need company.

He didn't hear everything from outside. But he did understand, from the muffled words he heard outside the window, what Noll had been doing all along. He had to admit it was surprising. Seeing Noll's selfish ways reach an unselfish level was a rarity. And for him to admit feeling an emotion such as fear wasn't something people never thought Dr. Oliver Davis could do.

And it only happened when he did something for the people he deeply cared for.

Naru sat down beside him on the porch with two cups of tea. When he opened the door and saw Lin, he could only stare at him. He knew Lin had heard his heart-to-heart talk with Mai. And though he was ashamed of what happened, there wasn't much that he could do so he just looked at Lin.

Lin was kind enough to not say anything too. He just looked at his face and gave a tired sigh. Noll decided to offer him tea. Lin accepted and proceeded to sit on the porch where Noll was at that moment handing him one of the cups of tea he prepared.

The two took a sip of the tea at the same time. They sat silent for a while, looking out at the night sky, staring at the lawn, gazing at the dust on the pavement, looking out at the gate that was being swallowed by the evening...

"So," Noll began, eyes fixed at the gate.

"No," Lin said looking out at the same gate.

Naru raised a brow at him. "I wasn't finished."

"You were going to ask if I can go with you to a bar," Lin said.

Naru frowned and stared at the gate again. "I was going to ask if you'll go with me to buy some booze."

"Still no," Lin said before sipping his tea. "I'll take you to your parents if you insist. Martin would **love** to have a drinking session with you."

Noll glared at Lin. "Why haven't you called them anyway?"

Lin shrugged. "I forgot..?"

Noll smirked. "I thought you work for my father."

"I do," Lin said.

Noll sipped his tea. "But you're going to help me now?"

"Help you with what?" Lin asked, eyes fixed at nothing in particular. "Eloping somewhere else?" Lin shook his head.

Noll rolled his eyes and took a sip of his tea. "Were you ever told that eavesdropping is wrong?"

"If I didn't spy on you, you'd be alone out here," Lin said.

Noll shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not Gene," he said looking up at the night sky.

"Which exactly justifies my presence here," Lin said.

Noll glared at him.

Lin smirked. He looked down at his tea and took a deep breath. "You really…love her…don't you?"

Noll looked out at one of the trees standing in the lawn. He remembered that it was supposed to be an apple tree. "Do I?" he asked. "I thought I was acting on lust."

Lin chuckled. "You didn't bang her though," he casually said. Madoka confirmed it when he tricked her into spilling some facts about Noll.

Noll sighed. "Wish I did," he muttered, looking down at his tea.

Lin shook his head. "You're just saying that," he said. "Fact is you respect her. And that kind of respect is a far greater proof of love, than making love to her every night or getting her pregnant."

Noll drank his tea. "You do it with Madoka though," he said.

Lin sighed. "Not the same banana," he said.

Noll smirked and sipped his tea.

Lin took a deep breath. "I can't believe I'm having this talk with you," he said. "Have you had 'the talk' with the professor before?"

Noll looked out at the gate. "You mean that discussion about sex?"

Lin nodded.

"He didn't like to talk about it," Noll said. "He tried at some point though. He gave up when I told him what I knew about human reproduction and sex education." He remembered how loud Gene's laughter was when Noll discussed about how to use a condom. They were around fifteen years old back then. And it made their father's cheeks red. That was the only time they saw Martin that embarrassed.

Lin chuckled. That was Oliver Davis alright. "Is that why you didn't do it?"

Noll shrugged his shoulders. "We're young," he said. "She has dreams."

"If you're going to have protection-"

"There's still a point-one percent chance she'll get pregnant," Noll said. "And it's just not something that should happen now...while this is all happening."

Lin knew what he meant. Though it could possibly tear the engagement to shreds, it wouldn't guarantee acceptance from Prof. Martin and the rest of the Davis clan. "There's a high chance she won't."

Noll looked up at him. "You're telling me I should just bang her?"

Lin blushed. "I was just wondering why you didn't," he said. "Men in your situation wouldn't think twice about it."

Noll looked away and sighed. "Maybe you're right," he said. "I respect her."

Lin smirked and shook his head. "I like this," he said.

Noll raised a brow at him.

"You admit that other people are right about you," Lin explained. "You should be in love more."

Noll glared coldly at him.

Lin just chuckled and sighed.

Noll sipped his tea. "This conversation would be better if this was beer."

Lin nodded.

"Did you bring your car?"

"No."

"Gordon Bennett," he muttered.

Lin chuckled, remembering something he needed to do. "Madoka's going to kill me."

"If she does," Naru said. "Send her my love."

"Sure."

* * *

><p>Mai walked down the street with Takumi.<p>

They didn't talk about Naru while they had dinner. Everything he asked and told her was about Japan, how her friends and 'family' were doing, and how they missed her.

She liked the distraction. But she knew it wasn't going to last long.

They were on their way to the bus station. And soon she would reach the house, she would see Naru, and she would remember everything – the pain, the disappointment, the shame...the guilt...the fact that she was the reason why Naru tore himself away from his family.

She suddenly heard Takumi give out a heavy sigh. She looked up at him, wondering what was wrong.

"I'm assuming you still love Naru," he said. "...Even after...what happened."

Mai looked away.

Yes. Yes, she did. That was why it caused her so much pain. She loved him. She knew he was suffering. She knew his family was suffering. And she wanted to help him.

But the only way she could help him was to...

Mai looked up at the bus station a few blocks away from them. She decided to every road sign and poster on the way, just to keep her thoughts away from what happened a little longer.

"I'm not going to judge you," she heard Takumi's voice say as she read a soda advertisement posted on a shop window. "I know how it is to feel...what you're feeling..."

A cigarette advertisement...An antique shop sign...a liquor brand...

"And I'm here," Takumi said shyly. "I'm here for you. I will always be here for you. And I'll support you in whatever you decide to do."

An advertisement poster about a sleeping pill...a poster about a fastfood restaurant...

Mai looked up at him and gave him a smile.

Takumi smiled back.

Takumi had known her for a long time. And she was sure he was thinking about the same thing that she had been thinking.

If only she was as smart as Naru...He would certainly figure out a way to do what she wanted and what she needed to do.

She wasn't good for him. She was tearing his family apart and she was hurting people. It wasn't right.

But she couldn't just run away. Naru would stop her at all cost. She knew it seemed impossible for Oliver Davis to kneel and beg for something but her conversation with him earlier about the truth was like...Oliver Davis pleading that she stayed with him.

And if he begged her to stay one more time, she might not be able to gain enough strength to do the right thing again.

But if she didn't do anything, she most likely won't be able to sleep well at night...beside him...even if he held her close and-

Sleep.

Mai stopped and walked back to the poster about a brand of sleeping pills.

"Mai?" Takumi asked, quickly at her side.

Would it work?

Mai bit her lip.

And if it did...would she...**really** do it?


	36. Chapter 36

_Thank you all so much again for your patience. I'm still having one hell of a week. So, I'll just let you read this week's chapter. Do tell me what you think about it!_

* * *

><p>Lin placed the broccoli in his mouth and munched on the crunchy vegetable – his eyes fixed at his plate.<p>

Madoka frowned.

Lin arrived late that evening. And he hadn't told her why. They ate silently on the table. Martin and Luella were already bickering in the bedroom, no doubt watching that crime series on the cable TV again and arguing about how the victim died or who killed the poor victim.

Lin sipped from his glass of water. Madoka was giving him the 'stare treatment' – the strategy she used whenever she wanted him to tell her something that he wasn't planning on telling her, like 'I love your new haircut' when he preferred her hair long, or 'Will you marry me?' …okay, not that line but something to that effect.

Usually, his 'stare-all-you-want' strategy would work. But that night, Madoka just seemed too curious for the technique.

So strategy number 2…

"Is there something wrong?" Lin asked, looking innocently at Madoka.

Madoka scowled, her lips pouting.

…The 'looking-irresistably-cute strategy.' Not tonight though, Madoka. Not tonight.

"Where were you?" Madoka asked.

Ah. Confrontation.

Lin smirked. "Not anywhere near the red light district."

Madoka's cheeks flushed. She looked away.

Ha! …Works everytime.

"I knew that," she muttered. After a moment she leaned her head closer to Lin's from across the table. "Were you at Noll's?" she whispered.

Lin just looked at her. "Were you?" he whispered.

Madoka rolled his eyes.

It wasn't like she didn't know what Lin was doing. "The professor has set the date when we're going to visit Noll."

Lin nodded. "When are we going there?"

"Tomorrow."

Lin stiffened.

He did **not** expect that.

* * *

><p>Mai watched Naru sip his tea from the doorway of the office.<p>

He was fixing his desk, putting his papers back in their envelopes and closing his netbook.

They would leave first thing tomorrow.

Mai sighed as she walked away from the door. She hadn't said goodbye to Iris properly – didn't tell her they were leaving that soon.

She headed for the bathroom, knowing the tub was already filled up with warm water. She prepared the tub for a good warm bath before she prepared Naru's tea.

Mai walked slowly into the bathroom, gently slipping her clothes off. Her mind was still in the air, too far to think about anything.

She sunk into the warm water and closed her eyes.

What if she stayed with Naru? ...What if she thought 'to hell with the in-laws'?

Mai smirked.

It felt good, thinking about standing up for her life with him. But thinking about it more...How would she and Naru survive exactly? Like they did back in Japan? Naru working in a bar instead of teaching in the university? Perhaps he'll still get a job in a university.

What about her? There was no way she would let herself be confined in the house as a housewife, not when she can help him earn money. She wasn't a gold digger. She wasn't physically challenged. She can work.

So where would she work? She didn't get a degree from any prestigious university. She only finished high school in a public school back in Japan. What job would she get? A waitress..? A nanny..? A dishwasher..?

She didn't mind the job. But she minded...the image... Dr. Oliver Davis' wife working in a pub as a waitress...

Mai winced. His parents were right. She would be a disgrace to him.

Sometimes...No, most of the time...the mind should lead your life, not the heart. Your mind could think of ways on how to feed yourself, but not the heart. It could only make you feel things you never thought you could feel, and they won't always be enough to help you get by.

Staying with him...would it...be good...for both of them?

Mai sighed.

* * *

><p>Naru sat on the bed, staring at nowhere. He felt so tired and sleepy. But he didn't want to sleep without Mai beside him.<p>

Somehow he had that nagging feeling that he would lose her, if he didn't wait for her.

He looked at the luggage near the wardrobe. Their things were already packed. The tickets and the passports were prepared. They would leave early tomorrow.

He and Mai would leave...together.

Naru heard the bathroom door open. He watched Mai walk slowly out with a towel drying her hair. She was wearing a robe over her pair of pyjamas.

Her brown eyes met his.

Mai froze. "You're still up."

"Aren't you going to sleep early?" Naru asked.

Mai nodded and hung the wet towel on a rack. She walked to the bed and slipped under the blanket.

Naru reached his arm out to turn the lamp lights off. The moment the darkness filled the room, he felt Mai's fingers on his cheek, asking him to face her.

He did. And his lips quickly locked with hers.

He wasn't surprised. They were both stressed out with what was happening. The passion, eagerness and urgency in her lips matched his own.

Naru felt Mai sink into the bed, her arms slinking to his neck and pulling him down over her. He obliged, snaking his arms to her sides. Her fingers tangled with his hair. He took it as a sign to deepen the kiss. He slightly leaned his head to the side, Mai's lips open, and deepened the kiss.

He let his urges take over – his hands brushing her thighs, her hips, her back, the side of her chest...

He gasped as Mai's legs locked his hips against hers. He opened his eyes, leaned away and saw Mai fumbling on the buttons of her pyjamas - the top buttons already unlatched and revealing the skin between her breasts.

"Mai," he whispered. She ignored him. She instead leaned closer to him and began to kiss his jaw...his neck... It gave him chills...very good chills.

"Mai," he hissed, sitting up.

Mai froze, staring at him, for a moment before she sat up and kissed his lips again.

Naru tried to ignore the taunting kiss she was giving him. He knew what she was doing and he didn't like it.

Mai gasped. She suddenly found herself pinned on the bed with a loud thud. Naru had her arms locked above her head. "N-Naru..."

"I'll marry you," Naru said – his blue eyes looking straight into her brown eyes. He then leaned down and gently kissed her lips. "I'll marry you," he whispered.

Mai winced, tears sliding down her cheeks.

She was supposed to give him everything that night...because she loved him... At least, she knew she had it with the one she loved.

But Naru just had to say those words...give her hope...

Naru kissed the trail of tears on her cheeks. "I'll marry you, Mai," he whispered in between the kisses. "I'll marry you, you'll marry me, and we'll grow old together."

Mai couldn't help but chuckle at 'you'll marry me.' "You're sure I'll marry you?" she whispered.

Naru smirked. "Of course," he said before giving her a deep intoxicating kiss.

"You're so full of yourself," she breathlessly said when he leaned away.

"That's why you'll marry me," he said before trailing kisses down her throat. His hands fixed the buttons on her pyjamas, keeping her clothed. "And we'll do this," he whispered against her chest. "...Because we're going to do this with each other for the rest of our youthful days."

Mai chuckled and placed her legs back on the bed. They sounded so nice...so tempting...

"Don't you trust me anymore?" Naru asked, looking at her face. He watched a tear slide down her cheek.

"I trust you," Mai said. That was why she had to go...he would do what he said, even if it meant losing his already beautiful life.

Naru leaned down and kissed her again. Mai kissed back with as much sweetness and fervor his kiss had.

He pulled the blanket over them. If he wasn't that sleepy, he would have kissed her senseless and more. But his body was yelling at him to call it a night. He kissed her forehead one last time, and closed his eyes – Mai caged in a tight embrace.

Mai wrapped her arms around his middle, burying her head against his chest. She felt like no one could take her away from him.

And maybe...just maybe...that was true.

* * *

><p>Naru winced at the warm light touching his face. He grunted and buried his face on the pillow, smelling the scent of Mai's hair.<p>

He sighed and pulled her closer to his chest.

He could really live like that for the rest of his life. He didn't care if his father disowned him. He wouldn't want to make his own family with another woman.

His legs pulled Mai's legs closer...only to realize they seemed too soft to be her legs.

Naru snapped his eyes open. The warm light blinded him for a moment. He winced and scratched his eyes as he sat up.

He was alone on the bed, and the Mai he had been holding tight against his chest was a pillow.

Naru stiffened. He felt his heart panic, pain surging through his chest.

"Mai?" he called, his limbs suddenly trembling.

He knew it would happen, but he still hoped that it wouldn't. That was why he assured her that night, tried to persuade her to stay...to be selfish for once.

"Mai?" he called out louder, hoping she was just in the bathroom, or in the hallway...in the kitchen! She must be in the kitchen making tea!

Naru jumped off the bed, throwing the blanket across the room.

"MAI!" he called out as he dashed down the stairs. "Mai! Answer me!"

He stopped by the kitchen doorway, panting.

There was no one in the kitchen. And no one seemed to be outside either. The back door was still locked.

Naru ran to the front door.

It was also still locked.

He swallowed.

How could he **not** feel Mai leave? He always woke up with Mai's slight movements. With his tight hold on Mai last night, he was sure he would know if she stood up to go to the bathroom.

Naru froze. He rushed to the kitchen...to the trash bin... And sure enough on the top of the pile of trash was a piece of foil...that once held a medicine tablet.

He held it in his hand.

"Eszopiclone," he read almost breathlessly - the only insomnia medicine that worked miracles on him. Gene used that pill once to make sure he slept deeply. That was when his twin drew on his face with a marker just for the heck of it.

There was no way Mai could get hold of that sleeping pill. How would she even know about it?

Naru cursed and slapped his forehead. He sank down on the floor, back leaning flat on the cupboard. His blue eyes stared at the chair across him...the chair Mai always sat on when they had dinner in the house.

He could see her cheerfully preparing his dose of morning tea.

If he did what she wanted him to do...If he fought the drowsiness and swallowed his pride... Would she have stayed?

Naru winced and forced himself to stand. He ran back to the bedroom. He threw himself on the bed and buried his face on Mai's pillow.

...Mai's mobile phone left untouched on the bedside table.

* * *

><p>Mai stared out the window of the plane.<p>

Her mind kept flying back to the memories she wanted to forget.

It took all she had to get out of the bed...out of Naru's warm and tight embrace. She almost didn't leave. But the call she received from Takumi that morning reminded her that she had to leave.

Her fingers touched her lips.

She would forever remember that last kiss she gave him before she left – a kiss on the forehead, the only kiss that wouldn't stray her from letting him go.

Naru looked so peaceful that morning. It felt so wrong to leave him. His arms felt so warm and caring. She almost felt lost when she crept away from them...away from him.

Mai wiped her eyes, feeling the tears that had been threatening to fall since she woke up that morning.

She remembered how the plan was finalized that night, with Takumi by her side.

"You won't be able to buy those without a prescription from a doctor," she remembered Takumi tell her when she stared at the advertisement about a sleeping pill.

She sighed, realizing how foolish her plan was – drug Naru with a sleeping pill and slip away from his life for good.

"But I can get you some," Takumi continued.

Mai looked up at him.

He gave her a smirk. "I still have connections, you know," he said. "You're going to drug Naru and leave him?" he teased, chuckling at the statement.

Mai shyly looked away.

Takumi froze, realizing that he accurately predicted what she wanted to do. "Mai..." he said. "Why don't you just tell him you want to leave?"

Mai smirked. "When he told me everything," she said. "He...made it clear...that he didn't want me to leave. He practically begged me not to."

Takumi looked away this time.

They were silent for a while.

"Takumi-kun," she began. "Let's go home."

"Okay," he said, turning to walk to the bus station.

"I mean **home**," Mai said looking at him.

Takumi stiffened and slowly turned to look at her. "You want to go back to Japan with me?" Takumi asked.

"Yes, I do," Mai answered.

Takumi scratched his head, and looked away. "What about Naru?"

Mai smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "He lives here in Europe," she said. "I live in Japan. **We** live in Japan."

Takumi smiled and held her hand tight in his. "Let's go to Japan then," he said before he kissed Mai's forehead.

Mai closed her eyes.

"You okay, Mai-chan?" Takumi asked, looking at her from his seat next to hers.

She looked at him and smiled. The plane had begun to drive out the runway.

Takumi sighed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry," he said. "Everything will be better, I promise."

Mai just closed her eyes again. "Goodbye, Naru," she thought, biting her lower lip until it bled.

* * *

><p>Lin stood uneasily behind Martin and Luella. Madoka stood beside him, holding his hand.<p>

They had arrived in Noll and Mai's house. The gate was unlocked so they walked to the front door without calling for Noll or Mai's attention.

"What if we're in the wrong house?" Luella asked, trying to stop Martin from knocking on the door.

"We wouldn't know until we see who is home, yes?" Martin said, knocking the door.

They heard some shuffling from behind the door before it opened, revealing Noll all dressed up for a trip. He had his luggage on hand.

Luella and Madoka froze.

Martin raised his brows at him. "Noll," he said. His son didn't look surprised to see them.

"Father," Noll greeted indifferently. He handed his luggage to Lin.

Lin stiffly received them. He raised his brows at him, asking what was happening.

Noll stared back with emotionless eyes. "You're here to take me back to England, yes?"

"Y-yes," Lin answered, noting the bored tone in Noll's voice.

Noll then locked the door behind him.

"You're...alone?" Luella anxiously asked.

"Yes, mother," Noll answered, handing Martin the keys. "Mai just learned yesterday that I took her here to get away from my engagement with Ms. Weist. She left me this morning believing I should respect and follow your decisions for me. You can check the house for any trace of her if you like."

Martin held the keys in his hand as Noll turned apathetically to Lin.

"You brought the car?"

"Yes," Lin answered, leading the way to the car parked outside the gate.

Madoka and Luella looked sadly at each other.

"She never knew," Martin said. "What did she know exactly...when they went here?"

Luella sighed, knowing that Martin already knew about her previous meeting with their son was out on a vacation," she said. "We allowed him to have one on his own since...he had a housemaid with him."

Martin smirked.

"_If I didn't know better, I'd say you're looking for my husband!"_

He sighed. He might not have Noll's gift, but by looking at the key in his hand he already knew what had happened.

"Let's go back to the hotel," he said, wrapping an arm around Luella. Madoka already walked to the car where Lin was putting Noll's luggage in the trunk.

She couldn't shake the image of Noll's eyes away from her mind...dead blue eyes, red and swollen...

Madoka swallowed. It would probably take more than two years to heal him.

* * *

><p>Masako stood by the door of the Davis suite.<p>

Charlotte had gone out of their hotel for breakfast, since the professor decided not to take her and Charlotte with them in the trip to the house where Oliver was staying in.

It pissed Charlotte off, but Masako knew the professor learned something very important that made him change his mind.

So there she was, waiting by the door of the suite, anxious and feeling that something had happened in the trip that she had to know about immediately.

As if on cue, she heard the elevator open. She straightened her kimono and looked anxiously at the people walking out of it.

The professor, Luella, Madoka, Lin-

She gasped at the sight of Noll walking behind Lin. He looked healthier than the last time she saw him...but his face...was field with...unfathomable pain and grief? His dead blue eyes stared uninterestedly at her. She suddenly regretted waiting there by the door to meet them.

"P-Professor Davis," she greeted, bowing down. "Good morning. I'm sorry I...was impatient."

"It's alright," Martin answered, bowing in reply. "I understand. Would you like to have breakfast with us? I'm calling for room service." He then turned to Oliver. "Have you had breakfast?"

"No," Oliver answered. "I'm not hungry."

Masako looked away, feeling guilt course through her veins. Somehow she felt like it was all her fault.

"I see," Martin said. "I'll order food for you nonetheless, for when your appetite returns."

He then opened the door to the suite and let Masako in. They all followed. Luella asked Masako to take a seat on the couch of the suite's livingroom.

"I'm tired," Oliver said looking at his mother. "Do I have a room here?"

"Yes," Luella answered. "It's that vacant room in the left," she said nodding to Lin.

"This way," Lin said, leading him to the room with Noll's luggage still in hand.

Martin was already on the phone, calling for room service. Madoka and Luella sat down beside Masako.

"I'm sorry," Luella said. "He's...not feeling well now."

Masako nodded. "I understand," she answered. "What...happened?"

Madoka sighed. "Mai left him," she answered. "She figured Noll would be better off without her."

Masako froze.

Didn't she love him? Didn't she want to be with him? Didn't she like being with Noll? ...Being his wife?

Luella sighed. "She must be really hurt," she muttered.

Masako looked up at her.

Madoka looked at the closed door of Noll's room. "I read once, that the best of lovers is the lover who can let his lover go for his lover's happiness," she said.

Masako felt like she was being stabbed in the chest.

"They're just killing each other now though," Madoka continued. "...Mai and Noll."

"Food will be here in fifteen minutes," Martin said walking toward them. "Where is Ms. Weist?"

* * *

><p>Lin placed Noll's luggage down on the floor. It wasn't like they were going to stay there for a while, so he didn't bother to unpack his things.<p>

Noll had thrown himself on the bed, slipping his self under the covers with his face turned away from Lin.

Lin sighed and sat down on a chair in the room. "This was what you were afraid of," he said.

Noll didn't reply. He just pulled the blanket tighter, wrapping himself.

Lin looked at the door. "They're going to ask questions," he said.

"I don't give a damn anymore," Noll muttered.

Lin watched him for a moment. "I'll tell them everything?"

"Just lock the door when you leave."

Lin took a deep breath and nodded. "Shall I wheel your food here?"

Noll pulled the blanket over his head. "Use the keys."

Lin nodded and quietly walked out of the room.

Noll didn't like sulking. But he needed it. He would be that way until he found something that would keep his mind away from what happened, which would usually be work.

Noll would be back to his overworked self the minute they reach England.

Lin locked the door behind him, Madoka suddenly in front of him.

"You were in Noll's last night, weren't you?" she hissed, frowning at him.

Lin sighed and nodded. He looked at Martin, Luella and Masako. They were all looking at him.

"I'll tell you everything I know," he said. "We'll have to start with Noll's solo trip to Japan."


	37. Chapter 37

_Hey! Thank you all so much again for your patience! I'm still busy. :(_

_I again haven't checked any of my emails or my other web account inboxes, but I did catch a glimpse of some of the reviews when I opened the 'Where is home?' page here in . _

_Anyway, here's this week's chapter. I don't have that much time for answering questions or responding to reviews but when I do have the time, I'll get back to you. _

_Oh and a friend of mine asked me to clarify this because it didn't seem clear enough for her friend (yeah, layers of friendships, huh?): _

_No. Nothing else happened in that previous chapter. Mai is still a virgin. She will not be pregnant because of what happened in the previous chapter. My sincere apologies for not making it clear enough. _* v *

_Anyway, here is this week's chapter. Do tell me what you think about it. I'll try to browse through your reviews asap. _

* * *

><p>Naru watched Mai stir as the mobile phone she left on the bedside table began to vibrate.<p>

She groaned, not wanting to wake up from her sleep.

He smirked. He liked how she frowned and pouted her lips...how she shut her eyes and held her pillow closer...how her hair splayed over her face...

Mai scrunched up her nose and scratched her eyes before her arm stretched out to the irritating vibrating mobile phone.

She sighed as she stared at its blinding screen, reading whatever it said. She looked up at the pillow...the man she spent the night with.

He saw sadness and regret in her brown eyes. He watched her lean her head under the crook of the man's neck, closing her eyes as if wishing away whatever woke her from her sleep.

After a moment or so, she pulled herself away from the tight embrace of the man holding her. She had her eyes closed the whole time, as if catching a glimpse of him would stop her from what she wanted to do.

It took a while before she was able to stand by the bed. When she turned to face the sleeping man on the bed, there were tears on her eyes.

Mai's hand shakily reached out to touch the man's face...his outstretched arm splayed limply on the bed as if pulling her back into his arms...his hand...

He watched her shake her head, slap herself...then look at the man once more...lean closer to him...try to creep back into his arms...

The mobile phone, still on her hand, began to vibrate again. She winced and forced herself to lean away. She took several deep breaths before she rushed to the wardrobe and changed her clothes. She tucked her sleeping wear into her luggage. After making sure her toiletries were all in her luggage, she picked her things up and walked to the bedroom door.

Just as he hand reached out for the doorknob, she froze. She stared at the knob...thinking...then turned around to look at the man once more. She dropped her luggage on the floor and walked to the bed.

He watched her lean toward the man, her face inches away from the man's.

"Wake up," Mai whispered, tears sliding down her cheeks. "If you wake up now, and stop me, I won't go."

But the man remained still and sleeping.

Naru clenched his fists. He watched her smile sadly.

Mai nodded. "Maybe you're really not for me," she whispered. "I hope you meet her, the one for you, soon."

The phone vibrated again. It was tucked in her pocket and the muted sound of its movement irritated Naru. Mai put the phone down on the bedside table.

It was then that he caught a glimpse of the screen.

Someone was calling.

Mai took a deep breath before she leaned down to kiss the man's forehead.

It was a slow...loving...heartbreaking kiss...

Naru held his forehead, almost feeling her soft lips against it.

Mai then ran to her luggage, her eyes filled with tears. She picked up her things, opened the door, locked it behind her and vanished...

Naru opened his eyes.

He saw the window of the hotel in front of him, giving him a gloomy view of Amsterdam that afternoon.

His family had been kind enough to leave him alone. Perhaps Lin's story convinced them not to bother him. Not even Masako, or Charlotte came knocking on his bedroom door.

He did hear them discussing about when they were going back to England. Either that evening, or early morning tomorrow was the trip they would get to St. Pancras.

Naru sighed and scratched his eyes. He didn't care much anymore. But the sooner the better – the sooner he reached his office, the sooner he would be able to focus his attention on other things.

He slowly sat up, stretching his muscles. He must have fallen asleep around noon. He crept out of the bed and heard something fall down on the carpet from his blanket.

Naru looked down and saw Mai's mobile phone – the one she left on the bedside table.

He picked it up and stared at it for a moment.

It was, in a way, an old unit.

Perhaps it was time he let it go.

* * *

><p>Martin stared at his mobile phone. It took him everything he had to not contact a detective in Japan and hire someone to investigate on Mai's relationship with Gene.<p>

He wanted to do what Noll expected he would do.

Martin sighed and looked away. His son was right. He wouldn't understand. He wouldn't take it as easily as he did earlier that day when Lin told them everything.

Why would he? She knew where his murdered son's corpse was, even claimed that she spoke to him in her dreams! How many false psychics had they met? How many murderers have tried to save themselves from the punishment for their crimes by acting as an innocent bystander?

Sure, he spoke with Seito Emi – the closest to a guardian of Mai's that they could talk to. But what if she didn't know Mai that much? What if Mai didn't tell her? What if Seito Emi knew, and she was protecting Mai?

How would he know she was telling the truth about Gene? How would he know that she didn't kill Noll's twin brother?

Martin smirked.

Noll had protected her from him for so long. And here he thought Mai was the villain in the story.

Martin sighed.

"Martin?" he heard Luella call from behind him.

He looked up at her and smiled. Her face showed...concern.

"Yes, dear?" Martin asked, reaching his hand out and asking her to sit with him in the couch.

Luella obliged and leaned her head on Martin's shoulder.

Martin wrapped his arm around waist.

"Our love story wasn't this...complicated," Luella said.

Martin chuckled. "Well, for one we're both scientists – not psychics."

Luella chuckled and nodded.

Silence filled the room for a moment.

Lin and Madoka took a walk somewhere while Masako had gone to tell Charlotte the news about Noll. And Noll...was still in his room, sleeping. He didn't touch his food.

"What now, Martin?" Luella asked.

"We go home," Martin answered. That was one thing he knew they would have to do – go back to England and go on with their lives as if nothing happened...as if everything that did happen was normal.

"And Noll?" Luella asked. "He would be...a mess."

"Well he doesn't go catatonic so he's not **that** much of a mess," Martin said.

"Martin!" Luella reprimanded, slapping his torso.

Martin just laughed. "He'll...live."

"I hope so," Luella said. "I know Gene wouldn't want him hurt like this."

Martin sighed and nodded.

Gene wouldn't want him that way...but would Gene want Mai Taniyama as his sister-in-law?

They then heard a click from the door of Noll's bedroom. They sat straight, expecting him to walk out from the door.

And he did, looking tired and sleepy – his black hair ruffled and tangled... Martin couldn't help but remember what Noll looked like when he was younger, when he and Gene just arrived in their house.

Their hair was ruffled and messy when they first walked up to the Davis house doorstep. The twins fell asleep while on their way home. And they were too groggy to bother about how funny they looked when they stepped out of the cab with Martin and Luella.

Martin sighed as Luella walked quickly to Noll, hugging him tight in that motherly way he envied so much. Luella's hold softened even the hardest trees – him and Noll. She was sunlight, as Gene said in his kindergarten poem. She brought light and warmth to all of them.

Noll had his face buried into the crook of his mother's neck. She was whispering words into his ears...comforting words. After a moment or so, she began to ask about his appetite – if he was hungry.

Noll nodded his head slightly.

"I'm ordering food," Martin said standing up and walking to the phone.

"I'm sorry, Noll," Luella whispered. "I'm so sorry."

Noll smirked. She reminded him of the idiot who apologized for things that weren't her fault. "Thanhk you, mother," he softly said.

Luella nodded and kissed his forehead. "Anything for my boy," she said.

"Anything..?"

Luella leaned away and smiled at him. "Anything."

Noll smiled. "Can we take the train to England tonight?"

* * *

><p>Charlotte excitedly combed her hair, making sure they stayed in its neat and lively curls. She didn't put that much make up on – just something to put some colour on her cheeks and some tint on her lips.<p>

Noll, Masako said, was...depressed, though Charlotte still couldn't understand why he would be. That Mai-person leaving him that way shouldn't upset him. It should anger him – make him hate her for treating him wrongly!

Charlotte practiced a sad smile on their mirror, making sure she still looked beautiful with the lack of make up on her face.

It was then that she saw Masako staring at her from the door of her bedroom.

Charlotte frowned. "Were you not taught to knock?"

"Do you have a copy of the newspaper with the rumour about you and Dr. Davis' engagement?" Masako asked.

"Of course I do," Charlotte answered, looking at her reflection in the mirror and wondering if she should put on some eyeliner. She did have waterproof ones, for when she would need to cry with Noll.

She was given permission to see him that evening, hopefully at dinner, before they left for England.

"Something that important should be treasured," Charlotte said proudly, looking at her make up kit. "As if you'd understand," she whispered.

"Can I see it?" Masako asked. "I've forgotten what it looked like."

Charlotte frowned. It was only then that she realized her mistake. "I lost it."

"I thought it should be treasured."

"And it was treasured," Charlotte said. "Aren't treasures stolen?"

Masako watched her for a moment before she turned around to face the hallway. "Lin said Mai learned about your supposed engagement with Oliver from a newspaper – a torn and crumpled page of the English tabloid that published it," she said.

Charlotte glared at the mirror. "Are you saying I gave it to her? I haven't even seen the bint."

"No," Masako said. "I'm just thinking whoever stole that treasure of yours, gave that treasure to Mai. And Oliver is hellbent on killing whoever that was."

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "She was bound to know anyway."

"Not in that way," Masako said. "Oliver was planning on introducing her to his parents after he told her the truth. He was planning on meeting them in the hotel with Mai and their luggage, and riding the train back to England with them."

Charlotte frowned. "Said who..?"

"Said the person he spoke with after he confessed to Mai about the engagement," Masako answered.

"Is that a threat?" Charlotte said, glaring at Masako's reflection on the mirror.

"It's a gossip," Masako answered. "Oh and I just received a call from Prof. Davis. He said there's a change of plan. They'll be taking the train to England tonight, so your meeting with Oliver is postponed."

"WHAT?" Charlotte gasped, standing up from her seat and staring at Masako.

Masako shrugged her shoulders. "They said Oliver requested to take the evening train."

* * *

><p>"Here we are," Takumi proudly said, leading Mai into the fourth floor of the apartment building.<p>

Mai's jaw dropped at the sight of the living room.

It wasn't as big as the one she had with Naru in Amsterdam, but for an apartment Takumi could actually afford in Japan, it was huge!

"Y-you're...paying this?" Mai asked.

Takumi frowned. "Of course I am," he said. "I told you I have a **real** job now."

Mai smiled. "I'm just amazed at this apartment you have! It's big enough for a whole family," she said.

Takumi looked away, clearing his throat and hiding the red shade in his cheeks. "I'm glad you like it," he said. "This way!" He led her further into the unit.

"This here is the kitchen," he said, leading Mai into a room that obviously looked like a kitchen. "This is the bathroom," he said leading her into a bathroom that had its own tub. It wasn't as big and elegant as the one Mai and Naru had back in Amsterdam, but it looked great enough to try. "And this," Takumi said leading her to a door. "Is your room."

"My room..?" Mai asked.

Takumi smiled proudly and nodded. He opened the door and let Mai inside.

Mai froze at the sight of the room. It looked like something you'd find in a pricey condominium unit. The room was elegant with its plain shades of white and light yellow hues.

Across the room was a wide glass window. Takumi quickly opened it, letting its white curtains dance in the chilly breeze.

Mai walked to the bed and felt its cushion. It was soft, just like the bed she slept on in Amsterdam, though the one she had in the bedroom with Naru was...springier.

"Do you like it?" she heard Takumi ask from behind her. "This here is your own wardrobe," he said pointing at the cabinet across the bed.

Mai smiled at him. "I do. I like it. Thank you," she said. "I'll pay you once I-"

"No," Takumi said, grasping her shoulders. "No, Mai. You're not going to board here. I got this for us. I told you I'll get you out of that rat hole, right?"

Mai stared surprised at him for a moment before she chuckled.

Takumi smiled. She remembered then. "This is it, Mai," he said. "This is me keeping that promise."

Mai shook her head. "But Takumi-kun, this seems...too much?"

Takumi sighed and sat down on the bed. He pulled her to sit beside him. "Mai-chan," he began, shyly looking at her. "You know I care about you, right?"

Mai nodded.

Takumi smiled. "More than a friend would do for someone?"

Mai stiffened. "W-what...do you mean?"

Takumi looked down at his hands. "I know...this isn't the right time...That this is just too soon but... I have to be honest with you."

Mai started to think she shouldn't have asked him to explain.

Takumi held her hands in his. "I...I love you, Mai-chan," he said. "I always have."

Mai looked shyly away, clueless about what she should say.

"I'm not asking you to be my girl or anything," Takumi said. "I understand how hard this is for you, after...after Naru."

Mai felt something in her chest twist at the name. She still couldn't shake her last memory of Naru away from her thoughts – the one that almost stopped her from going back to Japan without him.

Knowing about Takumi's feelings...it felt like she ran away from Naru to elope with Takumi. She cheated on Naru! Now, she was really unfit for him.

"I just want you to know, that's all," Takumi said. "I want you to know that I'm here. I'm here for you...for whatever you need."

Mai tried to smile at him. She loved Takumi, yes, but...not the same way she loved Naru. But Naru was beyond her reach! He had a great life in England that she could only ruin.

...And Takumi...Takumi-kun...

She looked down at her hands – hands that Takumi held in his. Perhaps, feelings could change..?

"Thank you, Takumi-kun," she said looking deep into his eyes.

Takumi smiled and kissed her forehead. "Thank **you**, Mai," he whispered. "For understanding." He then pulled her into a hug.

Mai closed her eyes and tried to savor the gesture. It didn't feel like Naru's embrace, but perhaps...it really shouldn't.

* * *

><p>Naru stared at the cup of tea on his office table.<p>

He could see Mai peeping on the doorway of his office with a tray that held his tea. He could hear her saying his nickname in that cheery voice of hers, offering him his tea. He could see her walking into his office asking him what he was doing.

Naru shook his head and looked back at his netbook. It had been weeks...how many weeks exactly, he no longer recalled...since he arrived back in England. The first thing he did was work.

He took all his tasks in the university, computed the grades of his students before the deadline came, drafted his lesson plans for the next school year, went to the SPR office and reviewed almost every file related to newly reported cases and completed investigations...He tried not to have a free time – a spare time when his memories of Mai would surface and haunt him.

Naru read a submitted case report on his netbook. One important task that kept him away from having a free time was heading the SPR database enhancement project. He had the case reports, completed investigation reports, case testimonies and leg work documents converted into files that could be downloaded from the database for internal review.

With the enhancements, he was able to keep copies of the documents he was reviewing either in his netbook or his tablet pc where he could check them anytime he needed something to do. It also made it easier for them to distribute cases and give comments on investigations to investigators since they only had to send the reviewed files to their respective database account folders, instead of having the hard copies handed to the investigators personally or delivered to wherever they were.

At that moment, he was reviewing a case filed about a haunting in a café. It seemed to have been reported to gain the establishment something to brag about and entice customers. But the data he was reading didn't seem promising.

Naru highlighted some texts and typed in some comments.

He heard his phone vibrate against his office table.

Naru sighed and looked down at the device. He bought one of those phones that looked more like a shrunk tablet PC than a mobile phone. He made sure it would have access to his office email accounts and webmails.

He checked the screen and found a notification saying, "Charlotte Weist calling..."

Naru frowned. Why he even kept the number was beyond him. Those were the times when he didn't care much about who touched his mobile phone, and who modified its settings.

It would most probably be his father, when he offered to update his contacts since he looked too catatonic-looking to do anything. Luella also saved several contacts on his phone – client numbers – but he didn't think she would include Charlotte's number there.

Naru slid his thumb across the screen and held the phone against his ear.

"Oliver Davis," he said nonchalantly.

"Hey, this is Charlotte," she said from the other line.

"I know."

"Oh. Um...Would you like to grab some tea?"

Naru looked down at his tea-cup.

It would be a date, at least for Charlotte. He hadn't seen her since he left England. His parents were kind enough to keep Masako and Charlotte away from him the whole time he was...'moping around'...

He tapped his finger on the netbook keyboard, wondering if he should meet her.

"Noll..?"

Naru closed his eyes. "Where?"

He heard Charlotte gasp from the other line. "L-Let's meet in the university gates, if that's alright with you," she excitedly said. "I'm still in a class now. I'll be out in thirty."

"See you then," he said ending the call. He looked out the window.

She left him twice. And in both instances, she left with the same man.

* * *

><p>Naru turned his computer off and stood up. He took his coat from the rack and walked out of his office in the SPR building.<p>

Eugene Davis – beloved twin brother, son, and friend.

Naru stared at the tombstone, reading the name and the epitaph for the nth time.

He sat on the grass across the tombstone, not caring if he looked like he was sitting on his dead twin's buried torso.

He wondered what his epitaph would be when he died.

Gene wanted his epitaph simple, hence the generic one-line statement on his tombstone.

Naru..? He hadn't really thought about it.

Oliver Davis – beloved brother, son, friend...husband, father...

He sighed. If this was six years ago, he would have been grossed out at the thought. His father was right though. He would need to have a family of his own – a home.

A home...For the past weeks that he was home, he...didn't feel like he was home. He knew he slept on **his** bed, but it felt...different.

It lacked something.

Naru looked down at his watch. He had fifteen minutes to head to the university and meet Charlotte. He looked up at the tombstone again.

"I've been trying to ask some advice from you," he said. He had been staring at the mirror every morning when he woke up, and every night before he went to sleep hoping he would catch even just a glimpse of Gene. He had also been spending much of his free time on his grave. "But you already seem...too busy to bother in the afterlife. So I'll advice myself from now on. That's...how it should be now anyway. I don't hate you though. I'm actually sorry I bothered you in your eternal rest in those...times." He traced Gene's name with his finger. "I miss you," he whispered. "I miss your irritating smile and your annoying jokes about me. And I love you. You know that. Just don't expect me to name my son after you, because I've had enough of having a Eugene Davis in my life."

Naru smiled and stood up, dusting his pants.

It was time that he walked away.

* * *

><p>Charlotte traced the rim of her teacup with the tip of her index finger, eyes fixed at her reflection on the tea.<p>

"I heard your database enhancement project in SPR is doing well," she said, breaking the silence that had loomed in the table since the tea was served.

Noll just looked at her.

Charlotte sighed. "I...know this is a hard time...for you," she said. "I'm sorry."

Noll sipped his tea.

Charlotte looked up at him. "I think she shouldn't have left, if she really loved you."

Noll kept his eyes on his tea.

"If I was her, I wouldn't leave," she said. "I would prove your parents wrong."

Noll kept his eyes away.

Charlotte placed her hand on top of his. "I'm here, Noll."

Noll looked up at her.

She smiled. "I'm here. And I'm willing to be who you need. Let me help you. Let me heal you."

Noll looked down at her hand. It was warm against his hand.

"Let me love you, Noll. I'm not asking you to love me back. I'm just...asking your permission...to love you – to show you that I love you. Dinners. That's all."

Noll looked up at her.

Charlotte was beautiful. She was annoying, but only because she had the jerk traits he had. If there was one woman who actually fit the description of "female version of Oliver Davis," that was Charlotte.

He saw then what his father saw in Charlotte – what made her the suitable bride for him. They would banter a lot, but only because they acted alike. They would look perfect together with their graced physiques. They would work well together as members of the same field.

Love...Could be learned...right? Didn't he learn how to love through Mai?

Charlotte curled her fingers around his hand, expecting him to flinch or pull his hand away. But he didn't pull away. He just allowed her to hold his hand.

This was a new start – the new start she longed to have.

* * *

><p><em>This is another AN. BEWARE...<em>

_To those who were wondering how Lin told Mai and Naru's story: _

Lin locked the door behind him, Madoka suddenly in front of him.

"You were in Noll's last night, weren't you?" she hissed, frowning at him.

Lin sighed and nodded. He looked at Martin, Luella and Masako. They were all looking at him.

"I'll tell you everything I know," he said. "We'll have to start with Noll's solo trip to Japan."

He walked to his room and walked out with his tablet PC. He sat down in the couch across where Luella, Martin, Masako and Madoka sat.

They anxiously watched Lin browse through the screen of his tablet PC.

"You have pictures?" Masako asked, confused about what Lin was looking at his tablet PC.

"Better than pictures," Lin answered. "He looked up at them. Can you switch your Bluetooth settings on?"

The four stared confused at each other for a moment. But they all obliged, pulling out their Smartphone and activating its Bluetooth setting.

"This...MasakoPrin-"

"YES!" Masako shyly cut Lin, knowing he was asking about her device's Bluetooth network name.

Martin, Luella and Madoka looked consfused and curious at her for a moment.

Lin nodded. "Okay then," he said. "Just accept the files."

Their devices began to download two files from Lin's tablet PC.

"I'm sorry, Lin," Martin said, frowning at the screen of his mobile phone. "But what are these?"

"That's 'Are you happy?' and 'Key'." Lin answered.

Martin, Luella, Masako and Madoka only stared at him.

"That's the full account of Noll and Mai's...story, and..." Lin cleared his throat. "...Other things. 'Are you happy?' has the accounts of Noll's days in Japan."

The four raised their eyebrows for a moment, surprised that such things could exist. But they started to read the files.

Silence filled the room for a while.

"OH MY G- KOUJO!" Madoka shouted, blushing and glaring at the screen of her mobile phone.

Martin, Luella and Masako looked at her, curious at what she read.

Madoka glared icily at Lin. "You discuss our sex life with Noll?!"

Martin and Luella bit their lips from laughing and looked away – their cheeks red. Masako gasped and covered her lips in shock.

Lin looked away, cheeks red. "No," he said, knowing well what made Madoka think he discussed such things with Oliver.

"What do you talk about with him then?" Madoka said, folding her arms over her chest. "How we watch porn together?"

Masako shut her eyes and covered her ears. Martin slapped his forehead. Luella covered her face.

"I-I think...I'll just read this in our h-hotel," Masako said, looking shyly at the Davis couple.

"We'll walk you to the door," Luella and Martin said, standing up from the couch.

_Of course this wasn't what happened. I was just fooling around. Sorry if it's not funny. I just really wanted to humiliate Lin._


	38. Chapter 38

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing 'Where is home?'_

_"..no matter how nice Takumi is to Mai, I can't trust him" - aww.. _* n *_ Well, I can't really blame you for that. This was supposed to be a Naru-Mai ffic after all. Though there are FFics with the same designation where they don't end up together, right? _^ v ^

_"How many chapters are left in this story?" - I'm terribly sorry, but i haven't counted them all yet. As you may, or may not know, I chop the story into chapters by taking note of their word count. I'm still too busy to do the extra task so I can't promise I can give you an update on that. I'm open to suggestions on when to stop the story though, _^ v ^

_"where is Gene?" - Lalalalala~...Oh were you asking me? Um...Yeah...Next question please! _^ v ^

_"I don't know what to say, I'm angry, really really angry at how things are going, but I know you're going to make them work right? RIGHT?" - Um...Hm... You'll have to wait and see I guess..._

_"What happened to Gene? Has he passed over? I thought he'd still be there_  
><em>because his killer(s) haven't been found and his family isn't at peace and<em>  
><em>neither is Mai." - Um...I thought I cleared that part out on <em>_Chapter 16, but I'll see what else I can do. _

_"ms lyvance you are so good...:)..hope you can also make a story for vampire knight (yuuki and kaname )" - Thank you! _^ v ^_ I haven't actually read or seen vampire knight. But I'll try to check it out when I get some free time. _

_Aww...Thank you so much, _**Emina105. **_And to all of you giving me such overwhelming praises for my stories. Thank you all so much! _^ v ^

_Lots of hate for Martin, Charlotte...and Naru and Mai? WOW!_

_Here's this week's chapter. Do tell me what you think is going to happen next. _^ v ^

* * *

><p>Lin walked to Oliver's office in the SPR building. It was a weekend but there he was, delivering files to his boss.<p>

Ten months seemed to have passed quickly. Perhaps it was because of all the projects Noll had forced him to join in the SPR. Working as Dr. Oliver Davis' assistant wasn't that easy, especially when you're not used to pushing your self to your limits.

After successfully launching the database enhancement project for SPR, Oliver took on several other tasks in the organization. One of them was being in-charge of the SPR expansion. And by in-charge, Noll was the all-seeing omnipotent person in-charge. He ordered people around, made sure they did what he told them, reviewed every crease and stain on their reports, and made intelligent decisions on what needed to be done.

If the shareholders and high-ranking officers in SPR were impressed with him before, they were far impressed with him now. Add to that the fact that he was again given permission to do field investigations.

Lin was glad Noll was given the chance to do field work again. He hadn't worked on any case since Gene died. The Davis couple didn't allow him to do so, thinking it would only make it difficult for him to move on.

But unlike before, Noll only worked with one investigator – his assistant, Lin. He had help from Madoka, but only on getting background information about cases. He declined to have any team with him and Lin. It was mostly because of his usual proud demeanor, believing the extra hands would only burden him than help him.

Fact was he didn't really like to work with anyone else at the moment. At least that was what Lin thought.

Noll also took charge of streamlining some of the important processes in SPR – receiving cases, approving and distributing cases, reviewing investigation reports, etc.

Lin held the door knob, making sure the stack of files in his other hand didn't topple down on the floor. It would be quite a mess if they did. The files were a combination of feasibility study documents, proposals, investigation records, and progress reports on the database enhancement project. And he didn't want Noll to notice his clumsiness.

Oliver Davis wasn't the kind of boss who scolded people. He was just the kind that glares...

Lin swallowed as he slowly turned the door knob. Noll told him to just walk in for urgent concerns. And the files on his hand were considered urgent concerns.

"Really?" he heard Noll's indifferent voice echo from beyond the room.

He froze, wondering who he might be talking to.

He did remember hearing about a team on investigators filing a report on a case they just finished working on. They were probably Noll's guest. Although...he was sure they didn't properly set up an appointment. Lin also acted as Noll's secretary so he would know if Noll had an appointment with someone.

A long pause followed.

"I see," Noll said.

Lin sighed. Noll was on the phone. He suddednly hoped it wasn't Charlotte whom he was conversing with.

For the past ten months, Charlotte had been...friendly to Noll. She invited him to dinners and Noll accepted each one of them. What made him do so was beyond him. He thought about the possibility of Noll trying to forget Taniyama Mai. What was Madoka's term for that again? 'Rebound'..?

But he was sure Noll wasn't the type to get replacements for very important people. He just can't imagine Noll getting into a relationship to get over Mai.

Come to think of it though, Noll didn't admit to having any special relationship with Charlotte. In fact, he didn't even describe her as a close friend of his. And he kept addressing her with "Ms. Weist." That should mean something, right?

"I'll call you later," Noll said, ending the call.

Lin sighed before he opened the door.

"I told you to feel free to walk in without knocking," Oliver said, standing by his window as he slipped his mobile phone in his pocket. "Not eavesdrop."

Lin nodded. "My apologies," he said. "I didn't want to be rude."

"Do those include the proposals for the branch location?" Noll asked, looking apathetically at the files on Lin's hand.

"Yes," Lin answered, putting the files down on his table.

Noll was about to get the top most folder in the pile when Charlotte opened the door and peeped in. "Noll!" she excitedly greeted. "Lunch time!"

Lin looked at her, unsure of what to do.

That was one habit she seemed to have developed in the past months – visiting Noll in the office and dragging him to lunch. Yes, dragging.

Charlotte walked into the office and quickly wound her arm around Noll's.

Noll was frowning. "I'm busy," he muttered.

"Of course you are," Charlotte said. "And you're not skipping lunch for that." She then looked at Lin – a cold smile on her face. "Koujo, be a good assistant and take over Noll's job, will you?" She then proceeded to dragging Noll out of the office.

And Oliver allowed her to do so, scowling but grabbing his coat from the coat rack beside the door.

"Grab some lunch," Noll told Lin before walking out of the office with Charlotte.

Lin sighed. He just couldn't see what Noll saw in her.

* * *

><p>Mai looked at the wrist watch Takumi gave her for her getting her scholarship.<p>

The class was wrapping up and her classmates were already busy putting away their things.

"I'll see you all next week," the professor said before he turned around and erased the notes he wrote on the white board behind him.

Mai stood up, her classmates already chatting and heading for the door.

This was how her weekdays ended for the past months – walking out of the halls of the university as a psychology student.

Takumi had been kind enough to help her get back to school. He looked for universities that granted scholarships, prepared her application papers and gave her great moral support when she took the scholarship and entrance exams.

"Mai-chan!" she heard someone call as she walked down the hall, excited for the coming weekend. She still went to work on the weekends, but only because her weekday class schedules gave her enough time to rest in the afternoon.

Takumi was especially strict when it came to getting her own livelihood. He didn't want her to go to work, but she insisted she wanted to help him pay the bills. That and she also didn't like staying at home all day.

Being alone...it brought back memories.

She turned around, wondering who it was that called her name.

He saw a tall, smiling young man waving at her and running to her side.

"Sho-kun!" Mai greeted, smiling at him. "I thought your last class ended an hour ago."

"Yes," Sho said shyly, scratching his head. "I actually waited for you outside your classroom."

"Oh," Mai said, realizing what could have made Sho wait that long to see her. She smiled. "Don't worry, Sho-kun. I'll finish the research by Monday."

"Oh I...I know," Sho said, cheeks blushing. "I know you can finish it by Monday."

Mai rased her brows at him, confused about why he approached him. "Then...Are you here to ask me about a homework?"

"N-no," Sho said smiling at her. "Not homework."

They walked down the stairs and headed for the gate.

"Why did you want to see me then?"

"Um...You're a few blocks away from that store owned by Kuro-san, right?" Sho asked.

"His restaurant, yes," Mai answered.

"Well I'm heading there now," Sho explained, still blushing. "And I was wondering if you and I can walk home together since I'll be walking close to your apartment today."

Mai chuckled. "Sure," she said. "Are you sure you don't have a fever though? It's a long walk and your face is red."

Sho shyly looked away. "Oh uh...This is nothing," he said.

"Mai-chan," the two heard someone call from the gate.

Mai gasped in surprise. "Takumi-kun!" she greeted.

Takumi smiled, leaning against a blue car that was parked near the gate.

Sho watched Mai smile warmly at him.

Takumi leaned down and kissed Mai's cheek when they approached him.

Sho stiffened at the gesture.

"Why are you here?" Mai asked.

"I'm here to take you home, of course," Takumi said. He looked at Sho with a warning glance. "Who is he?"

"Ah! This is Sho-kun," Mai said introducing Sho to Takumi. "He's a classmate of mine."

"I see," Takumi said extending his hand to him. "It's nice to meet you! I'm Takumi."

"S-Sho," Sho said, stiffly shaking Takumi's hand.

There had been rumours about Mai having a rich boyfriend. But he didn't think it was true since...well, Mai didn't talk much about him. And she pretty much ignored the rumours.

"Sho-kun is going to Kuro-san's restaurant today so he offered to walk home with me," Mai said, obviously oblivios to the tension building between the two men.

"Is that so?" Takumi asked. "Why don't you ride the car with us then? You can have the-"

"N-No, thanks!" Sho-kun said smiling at Mai. "I realized I still have another place I need to go to first. I'll see you on Monday then, neh Mai-chan?"

"Oh, okay! Take care, Sho-kun!" she said, waving goodbye to Sho as he crossed the street to the bus stop. Sho smiled at her and shyly waved back to him.

"You do know he's hitting on you, right?" Takumi asked, watching Mai.

Mai raised a brow at him. "What do you mean?"

Takumi rolled his eyes and opened the door to the passenger seat. "...Nevermind. Let's just go home," he said.

Mai got in the car and waited for Takumi to take the driver seat. "Sho-kun is a good friend," she said frowning at Takumi.

Takumi burst into laughter, starting the car engine. "I'm sure he is," he said.

Mai frowned at him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Takumi said, driving away from the university. "Let's eat out tonight - my treat!"

* * *

><p>Noll walked to his father's office with a stack of folders that held various documents about the SPR expansion. They were some of the files Lin delievered to his office before lunch.<p>

The expansion was more to widen their range of field work – learn more of the paranormal behaviours across the globe. This was the product of Gene's unfinished research. And Noll was indirectly finishing what his twin began.

SPR received several propositions about where in the world SPR should branch out. Of course, the primary factor needed to be considered in the expansion was its cost – the price of keeping an office in a particular area of the country, the money they were willing to shell out to pay for trip expenses, equipment transfers, salary for the investigators that would stay in the new branch, etc. Then there was abundance of cases – the number of paranormal events that they could investigate on, the number of people in the area who wouldn't mind having such investigations made, and the number of new facts that they would be able to learn and understand in the areas.

Noll, as head of the project, took charge of sorting the important matters out. He had been doing the task for the past three weeks, barely sleeping in the evening to examine reports, proposals and calculating costs.

And that afternoon, he was passing his complete report on the project – the final proposal that contained which country or countries would be most suitable to have an SPR branch on. He was to give each high-ranking officer in the organization a copy.

Usually, they sent a messenger for the job. But Noll didn't want to be idle, not when idle meant his mind was free to think about things he wasn't supposed to think about…like Mai…

Noll squinted for a moment, erasing the thought, and knocked on the door of the office, knowing that his father was busy reading files.

"Come in," he heard Martin say.

Noll opened the door and walked in.

"Noll," Martin greeted, smiling at his son as he sat in his office chair – an open portfolio on his table. "Is that the proposal?"

"Yes," Noll answered, handing him the last copy of the proposal he drafted for weeks. He also handed him a clipboard with a paper containing a list of names.

Martin chuckled and looked for his name on the clipboard. He signed his name beside the one printed on the paper. "You should have just let Linus do the delivery," he said. "We're paying him to do this after all."

"Linus is delivering a package for me," Noll said, in his usual formal tone. "I had some spare time."

Martin nodded and sighed.

Noll took the clipboard and turned to leave.

"I'm sorry," Martin said.

Noll turned to look at him, one eye brow raised in query.

Martin looked sadly at him. "About Mai."

Noll looked away.

"I spoke to her," Martin began. "Back in Amsterdam. She didn't know I was your father. I didn't tell her."

Noll figured it happened. He saw it in his father's eyes when he walked out the door of the house back in Amsterdam alone. His father's disposition had changed - the surprise, guilt and disappointment he saw in Martin's eyes that day reflected it.

"She...You were right," Martin said. "There was someone better than Charlotte."

Silence filled the office. Noll didn't look at his father.

"I'm hiring a detective to look for her in Japan," his father said.

"No need," Noll said, walking to the door.

Martin looked confused at it. "Don't you want to see her again?"

Noll held the door knob. "No," he answered. "She ran away from me after all." He opened the door and walked out of the office.

Martin sighed.

Perhaps Noll really had moved on.

* * *

><p>"Thanks for dinner," Mai said as she stood by the door of her apartment.<p>

Takumi smiled. "You're sure you're okay here?" he asked.

Mai moved to her own apartment a month after they arrived in Japan. She insisted on providing for herself. So there she was, studying and working in her free time, and keeping her own apartment.

Mai chuckled. "Aww," she teased. "Takumi-kun misses me!"

"Of course, I miss you," Takumi said chuckling. "It's not all the time that I get to have a good cook in the house."

Mai rolled her eyes. "You can always get a girlfriend," she said winking playfully at Takumi.

Takumi laughed. "The way you can always get a boyfriend?" he teased.

Mai tried to smile.

Takumi shyly looked away and scratched his head. "Sorry," he said. "That was below the belt."

Mai shook her head, a sad smile. "It's okay," she said.

"That Sho-kun," Takumi said looking at her. "You like him?"

"He's a good friend," Mai answered.

Takumi laughed, nodding. "You're really not over him yet," he mumbled.

"What did you say?" Mai asked, not quite understanding what he said.

"Nothing," Takumi said leaning towards her and placing a kiss on her forehead. "Sleep well. I'm just around the corner if you need me."

Mai nodded. "Drive carefully!"

"I will," Takumi said, waving goodbye to her as he walked down the hallway that led to the stairs. Mai walked to the balcony and watched Takumi reach the first floor, walk to the gate, and drive his car away from the apartment complex.

Mai sighed and walked to the door.

She was alone again.

Mai walked into her apartment unit. It was far more spacious than the rat hole that Naru slept in when she met him.

Mai smirked. It was still smaller than the apartment Takumi got for the two of them. But far smaller than the house she lived in Naru in Amsterdam.

Her smirk faltered as memories of Naru flooded her thoughts. She shut her eyes and shook her head. Naru was now just a memory – a figment of her imagination – a man she could only dream of but never have.

It wasn't the lie he kept from her. She understood him. It was the whole setup – the prince and the muddy, stubborn, idiotic peasant girl. The royal family could never accept their love. The whole kingdom will only end up disrespecting the prince.

And the prince would lose his birthright in exchange for a harsh life with the peasant girl.

No. It wasn't a good fairytale. Fairytales didn't happen in real life after all.

Mai held the gold key dangling from her necklace – the only remaining proof that he existed...that he returned her affection...that he loved her.

Perhaps he was married to the British scientist, or already expecting a little version of him in the next nine months.

Mai took a deep breath, trying to ignore the pain surging in her chest. She smiled. At least, he was happy...right? He would be.

Mai walked to her room, dropping her messenger bag on her bed. Most of her things here were from Takumi – the beige messenger bag she used in school, her school supplies, some of the clothes she wore in school, some of her dining and cooking utensils...Takumi had done so much for her, even after she confessed that she just couldn't return his feelings.

He was still single. He hadn't told her anything about him dating someone, or meeting anyone cute enough to date in his office. Perhaps he just wasn't telling her about it.

Takumi was handsome. She knew a lot of girls in the market swooning over him. And she was sure there would be girls in his office who would notice his looks. And he was sweet! Stuborn at times but sweet!

So why in the world couldn't she just love him? She tried! She really tried...but the image of her kissing him was just...

Mai shuddered. Incomprehensible, perhaps would be Naru's description for it. He was always enthralled with complicated words.

Mai looked at the box on her table.

She had stayed in the apartment for nine months. She paid its rent dutifully, always saving enough money from her salary in Haruka-san's tea shop and in the bar, Yasuhara managed, to pay its monthly rent in full.

Then the kind landlady dropped the terrible news – they would need her apartment unit for another leaser who was willing to pay triple than what she paid for it.

Mai sighed. That was the same reason she received when she was kicked out of her apartment. Perhaps next time, she should get a house of her own – one that she would only pay taxes for every year, but she wouldn't lose to someone who could pay the taxes double than what she paid.

But owning, **buying** a house wasn't just something you can do anytime. It was expensive – the lot, the house itself, the papers, the tax. And she didn't have enough money and time to look for a house and buy it for her own.

Mai frowned. She hadn't told anyone else about it, not even Ayako and Bou-san. They would worry. And Yasuhara seemed too busy doing errands for his boss to have time to help her out. And she couldn't tell Takumi. He would charge the landlady and demand an explanation.

Aika-san was a far better landlady than her old one. And she really looked sad when she told her the news. Maintaining the apartment was expensive so they just can't turn a great offer down.

Mai would be upset if Takumi even thought ill of her. He would also probably take her back to live in his apartment if arguing with Aika-san didn't help her keep the apartment. And he might take that two-bedroom apartment back because of her! Such a waste of money!

Mai sighed and sat on her bed. She would search for an apartment in the morning...Perhaps after her job at the tea shop.

Noll checked his passport.

Oliver Davis. Single.

He still kept the false passports as momentos, something Gene usually did. It made him smile for some reason – seeing he was married to the owner of the other false passport that had Mai's picture.

Noll tucked the passport into his luggage.

* * *

><p>"Ready?" Lin asked, peeping into his open bedroom door.<p>

"Yes," Noll said, pulling his wheeled luggage from the floor.

A week had passed since the SPR board reviewed the final proposal. They agreed to try setting up a branch on one country first, just to see if it would indeed be appropriate for the expansion. And they agreed to send Noll and Lin out to do the task of doing a dry run in that particular country.

Lin watched Noll drag his luggage to the front door, Luella giving them last minute reminders for their trip. Martin just rolled his eyes at his frantic wife.

Madoka leaned her head against his arm, eyes also looking at Noll.

Noll seemed...apathetic...as usual. His blue eyes though, were in deep thought.

"I'm planning to offer him a detour," Lin whispered to Madoka.

Madoka nodded. "I think the professor wouldn't mind."

"Luella," Martin said, squeezing his wife's shoulders. "We're taking Noll and Lin to the airport. You can tell him those reminders before they ride the plane."

"But I might forget!" Luella reasoned, frowning at her husband. "And I might end up remembering other reminders when we get to the airport."

Martin sighed and gave Noll and knowing look.

Noll returned it. "Let's go," he said, opening the front door. It was raining again, as usual.

The five of them went out to the car and drove to the airport.

* * *

><p><em>This is another AN. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.<em>

Florence turned to Oliver. "She's been screaming in pain since she got inside that room."

Oliver quickly ran through the hallway. Lin followed understanding how frightening the situation was. They stopped in front of a door with three men trying to open it by hitting it with their combined weight.

"We've been trying to open the bugger," Jimmy explained. "It wouldn't budge."

Oliver glared furious...ly at the door. He could still hear Mai's shrieks.

Lin quickly felt a strong gust of wind coming from where Oliver stood. He blocked

Oliver from the door with his left arm.

"Save it for later," he said, knowing well that as much as he wanted Oliver to not use his gift, it was the only way they could stop what was happening beyond the door.

Lin placed his two fingers between his lips and whistled.

Two white lights swiftly attacked the door. He then twisted his hip a little to hurl a solid kick on the door.

The doors crashed back into splinters.

What they saw had them all...staring confused..?

Mai, seated on a chair, was chuckling as Norringbent, clad in a pink tutu, did a pirouette and bowed.

"MAI! WHAT THE BLOODY HELL!" Oliver shouted, glaring icily at Mai.

"Oh! We're taping already? Sorry!" Mai said, standing up from her seat.

Lin was coughing as Florence, Edmund and the others tried hard not to laugh.

"Why are you in a tutu?" Oliver snapped at Norringbent.

"I thought this was my costume."

"I GOT THE COSTUME!" rushed a PA into the room, holding a torn and stained garment for Norringbent. "We weren't done painting it yet so-"

Oliver pinched the bridge of his nose. "Where's the damn clapper?" he hissed.

Yasuhara ran in front of the camera holding the clapperboard. "CUT!"

Oliver stared at the camera. "You RECORDED that?!"

"It looked fun," Gene said, smiling behind the camera.

_THERE'S GENE! _^ v ^_ Smile and wave, Gene!_


	39. Chapter 39

_Thank you all so much for being really patient with me again. I've been **really** busy. But as promised in that fb post of mine, I'm uploading a long chapter for this week. _

_"ms lyvance why are you always busy? i just wonder co'z everytime you upload a new chapter you"re always apologizing for the delay due to your busy shedule, hope you don't mind my asking :), were you by chance a student with lots of school things or a very busy professional with deadline to meet?" - unfortunately, I don't like answering questions about my self __^ v ^ _like my background story and stuff like that. You can always guess though. __

_"Oh my god. When will they meet again?" - good question._

_"are you happy?, key, and where is home ...is it possible to have an anime version?(wish) :):):) or a book? (i will surely buy one)" - if someone will pay me for them, absolutely_ ^ v ^

_"THIS. Seriously? Martin suddenly changed?" - actually, he changed in that interview he had with Mai. I understand it was quite hard to tell though, since he didn't really like to admit he was wrong at the time._

_"Naru is going to japan!" - I was actually planning on sending him elsewhere. _^ v ^

_"I'm thinking that Gene should make another appearance to convince everyone (even Charlotte and Masako) that Mai is Naru's one and only soulmate!"_ _- I'll have to pass this question on to Gene._

_"Is Martin genuinely sorry or is he just saying that?" - personally, that 's a yes. Martin here doesn't easily accept he was wrong with deciding on the engagement back in Key. So for him to admit he did the wrong decision there is a big deal._

_I'm glad you a lot of you liked the second AN in the previous chapter._

^ v ^_ Here's this week's chapter. Do tell me what you all think about it. _

* * *

><p>"Won't Charlotte be here to see you off?" Luella asked Noll as they stood in the lobby. Lin, Madoka and Martin were discussing something about SPR a few steps away.<p>

They were only waiting for the announcement that Noll and Lin proceed to the check in counter. They arrived in the airport three hours before their supposed evening flight - something Noll requested.

Noll raised a brow at her, as if Charlotte seeing him off was an impossible event.

Luella crossed her arms over her chest. "Don't look at me like that, young man," she said. "You were practically 'seeing' her for the past ten months."

Noll rolled his eyes.

Thanks to the hormone-driven youth and prevailing generation, having lunch with someone from the opposite sex on a regular basis was already considered proof of an intimate romantic relationship. Not to mention it promoted the idea that two people often having lunch together were also banging one another regularly.

"Well?" Luella asked, not quite letting her son sneak out of the conversation with an eye roll.

Noll looked at her. "You do know they were just lunch," he said.

Luella blinked her eyes for a moment, analyzing what Noll said. Just lunch... Yes...The only meal he shared with Charlotte was lunch, and in all those times he did so, Charlotte invited him.

She stared shocked at Noll.

Noll took a deep breath and looked away, trying to focus on the announcements in the lobby.

"Did you tell her you were leaving today at least?" Luella asked.

Noll didn't answer.

Luella nodded, knowing what it meant. "Are you sure you don't want to look for Mai anymore?" she quietly said.

Noll looked at Luella.

"I can do something to help you get the chance to do so," she said, hoping her son accepted the offer.

She knew what he had been through and how much he needed to clear things up with Mai.

What was clear was Mai left while Noll was sleeping, not bothering to give him any explanation on why she chose to leave. Though it seemed simple enough to know why she opted to let go of Noll, not clearing it up had severed their relationship, and in the process, Luella was sure, wounded them both.

Perhaps if they saw one another again, discussed what happened, and realized what they had done, they would feel better. She hoped they would get back together, but it seemed too much a long shot with how Noll seemed to feel about her now. So Luella wished they at least mended their ties and became friends again.

Noll sighed. "Perhaps another time," he answered.

Luella tried to smile at him. She knew it was Noll's euphemism for 'no.'

They then heard the announcer mention the flight number in Noll and Lin's tickets and how their designated check in counter had been opened for them.

"Let's go," Noll said, turning to look at Lin.

Lin nodded in reply.

* * *

><p>"So this Sho-kun," Haruka-san said as she sat by the counter watching Mai prepare some gyokuro in the nearby kitchen.<p>

It was a weekend morning and she was making tea for one of their regular tea café customer.

"Is courting you," Haruka-san continued.

Mai chuckled. "You're the third person to tell me that," she said. "Bou-san and Takumi-kun thought he was too."

"Well isn't he?" Haruka-san asked.

"No," Mai said snickering as she poured the steamy water into a cup. "He's just a friend – a very nice one."

Haruka-san shrugged her shoulders. "Well, if he was kind enough to treat you to lunch, walk you to your classroom and study with you in the library, I guess he **is **a very nice friend – too nice to be a friend."

Mai sighed and placed the cup of tea on a tray. She also placed a plate of biscuits and crackers beside it. She then walked out of the counter and served the tea, earning a warm smile from their regular customer.

"Is it really that hard to accept that he's just being friendly?" she asked as she walked back to the counter.

Haruka-san chuckled. "Look at it this way," she said. "Men know how other men's mind work. So if two men already told you a man is pursuing you, there's a great possibility that the man indeed is."

Mai shook her head, sighing as she took a seat next to Haruka-san. "I just can't believe it."

Haruka-san sighed. "Takumi-kun's real sweet with you for the past years," she said. "You believed he was just being a real friend, and...well...was he?"

Mai frowned. "You're telling me I'm not really good at this," she said.

Haruka-san shrugged. "You just think too low about yourself," she said. "You don't realize you're beautiful enough to charm men."

Mai's cheeks flushed and looked away.

Somehow that statement flashed one image in her mind – the one image she longed to erase in her memory.

Haruka-san smiled sadly at Mai. "I know this is a bit too sensitive to talk about but, why do you think Naru-kun went through that length to be with you?"

Mai stared at her hands. They were clenched into fists on her lap.

Naru loved her. But she was bad for him. She really shouldn't have stayed...right..?

Haruka-san placed her hand on Mai's.

"You may not be as beautiful as that British scientist he was betrothed to, nor are you as well-off and educated as her," she said. "But you earned his heart. And in a life-long commitment such as marriage, that's what it takes to keep it going – earning each other's hearts."

Mai looked up and gave her a sad smile. "It's too late now though," she said. "He's probably married to her now."

Haruka-san chuckled. "A man that stuck-up would go that low to forget a girl who dumped him?" she asked. "I doubt it. He might begin to love himself again, but not divert his affections to someone else. That experience you gave him isn't exactly inspiring, you know."

Mai sighed and nodded. "I messed up big time, huh?"

Haruka-san chuckled. "Unless you try to fix it," she said.

Mai shook her head. "I left anything that could help me get our connection back," she said, holding the key pendant dangling from her neck. "I don't have his number or his address. I don't even have his email. I won't be able to apologize to him even if I wanted to."

And she really wanted to.

Haruka-san nodded, patting her shoulder. "There, there," she said. "Love will find a way. You do still love him, don't you?"

Mai shyly nodded her head.

* * *

><p>Noll sipped his tea.<p>

It had been three weeks since he and Lin arrived in Japan and set up the SPR office in Shibuya. They've done a couple of cases here and there, but none of them proved to be that interesting for him.

If he didn't receive any case worth his time, he would most likely propose to have the new branch set up in China or Russia instead.

He heard Masako shyly clear her throat. He looked up and remembered he was having lunch with the medium in a high-end café.

She had invited him out to lunch two weeks ago. But it took him a while before he lost enough work and alibis to get away from meeting her.

Masako had been quiet though and he almost forgot she was there with him that noon. And he realized it really wasn't that bad to share lunch with her.

Masako looked up at him.

She wanted to talk to him since he came back to England. But she learned about how he had buried himself at work. She understood that it meant he didn't want anyone to give him a hand in his recent...matters. Then she learned about how he shared lunch with Charlotte for the past ten months.

It puzzled her and made her feel guilty about not telling him what might have happened back in Amsterdam – what made Mai leave him that way...what made her crush his heart...

And she couldn't help but feel hatred toward Charlotte. She seemed so selfish, stooping down that low just to get someone she wanted to be with.

It wasn't right. And she wanted to right that wrong.

"I heard you've been seeing Ms. Weist," Masako began.

Noll sighed, annoyed at the conversation she wanted to start. "Have I?"

Masako shrugged her shoulders. "You've been having lunch with her for the past ten months, haven't you?" she asked.

She watched his blue eyes look apathetically at her. "You mean to say I'm 'seeing' you now," he said.

"N-No!" Masako shyly said, embarrassed at how wrong her statement came out. "That wasn't what I meant. I was only...asking..."

Naru sipped his tea. "Why did you want to meet me, Hara-san?"

Masako sighed trying to ignore the sting she felt at the sound of her last name on his tongue and looked down at her own cup of tea. His tone was serious...professional. He didn't want to waste his time.

"It's about Amsterdam," Masako said, suddenly feeling anxious about what she was about to do.

Noll looked sharply at her. He didn't like remembering what happened in Amsterdam. And he didn't find any reason for Masako to say something about it.

"What about it?" Noll asked.

"I was just wondering...if...you knew...how she got hold of...the paper," Masako said.

Noll kept his blue eyes on Masako.

He knew what paper she was referring to.

Silence loomed over the table.

"Why do you ask?" Masako heard Noll say.

Masako took a deep breath. "I...have a theory," she said.

She felt the coldness of his blue eyes. She knew he was waiting for what she wanted to say. But knowing how close he had been to Charlotte for the past months...would he believe her?

"I spoke to her about it," Masako said, her eyes fixed at her tea. "That night before we left Amsterdam...I asked Charlotte about the paper. I knew she kept a copy of the page. I saw her looking at it once, when we were in Belgium. So when Lin-san said he was puzzled about where Taniyama-san could find a copy of that paper in Amsterdam, that image of Charlotte with her own copy of the paper came to my mind."

She looked up to see Noll's reaction, wondering if he would be angry at the sound of the accusation. But he only watched her. And that meant he wanted to hear more of what she was trying to say.

Masako thought it was a good sign, so she gathered her courage and continued to talk about the topic with her eyes locked with his. "I asked her if she kept a copy of the paper," she said. "Charlotte confirmed that she did. But when I asked her if I could see it, she said she lost it."

Noll sipped his tea.

Masako took a deep breath. "I know this sounds...unlikely coming from me but...I did some investigation," she said. "One of her bodyguards said they saw Taniyama-san somewhere in Amsterdam while Charlotte was eating in a café. He didn't confess to anything else that might have happened, but the fact that she saw her and she didn't tell any of us about it just makes it...fishy."

"You are telling me," Noll said, apathetically looking at her. "...What?"

Masako sat straight on her chair. "I'm telling you Ms. Weist might be the one who gave the paper to Taniyama-san."

Masako felt relieved at spilling it out. Perhaps now, Oliver would realize Charlotte's plan and-

"I know," Noll said.

Masako stiffened – her eyes growing wide and her jaws dropping in shock. "You...know..?"

Noll sipped his tea.

Of course he held the piece of paper in his hand after he and Mai discussed the engagement. He knew where it came from, who kept it, who slipped it into Mai's pocket, and how it was part of a plan to finally separate him from Mai.

He knew it even before Charlotte met him in England days after his return and asked for a chance to help him move on.

"And...you still...saw her?" Masako asked, clearly heartbroken at the truth.

Noll looked at her. "As far as academic lectures on relationships go, 'seeing' someone involves emotional investment," he said. "And having lunch with someone involves eating dinner."

Masako froze. "You...didn't really...date her?"

Noll finished his tea and checked his watch. "I believe this conversation is over," he said standing up from his seat. "If this is all you wish to discuss with me today, I'll take my leave. I have a client I need to meet." He placed several bills on the table and walked away.

He didn't bother to look at Masako's response. He headed for the door, casually walked the street, and went back to the SPR office.

He knew Charlotte planned it all. And he hated her for it. But just dismissing her seemed...un-Oliver-like. So he took the chance to get to know her more.

He spent lunch with her for the past ten months, hearing nothing but her chatters on the table as they ate – learning more about her, about how intelligent she was, about how she liked to control everything that concerned her well-being, how she secured her future...

He learned so much about her, but knew that she barely knew anything about him in that ten months of spending lunch together. He didn't talk after all. He kept the same demeanor he had with her when he first met her. He just watched her flirt at him, walked away when she advanced to touching him intimately, and opted not to speak to her about anything.

He acted close with her when in front of people they knew, but acted as himself when he was with her.

Noll wanted to see a response. And he saw it. He saw it that one last time they had lunch – a few days before his trip back to Japan.

He remembered Charlotte watching him eat the plate of steak on his table. For once she decided not to talk once dinner began.

"I heard from the employees in SPR about your trip to Japan," Charlotte said.

Noll didn't say anything in return. He just kept eating, savouring the taste of grilled beef filet mignon and mushroom sauce in his mouth...and the buttery taste of the mashed potato on his tongue.

"You didn't tell me you were leaving," Charlotte said. She sighed when she heard nothing from him. "Heck! You don't tell me anything."

Noll took a sip of the red wine on his wine glass.

"Noll! Talk to me! Aren't we more than friends now?" Charlotte asked.

Noll looked up at her – his blue eyes filled with apathy.

Tears were peaking in her eyes. "Noll, you can trust me," she said, reaching out for his hand. But he tucked his hand in his pocket before her skin touched his.

Charlotte sighed and shook her head. "I've been telling you everything, Noll," she said. "**Everything**, and this is how-"

"Have you..?"

Charlotte looked up at him – surprised and confused. "H-have...I..?" she said, puzzled at the statement he gave. "Noll, I'm not cheating on you!"

Noll sighed and leaned back, dapping the napkin on his lips. "I honestly wouldn't really care if you did," he said.

"WHAT..?"

Noll looked up at her. "You said lunch," he said. "I gave you lunch."

Charlotte stiffened.

Noll knew, by the expression on her face that it sunk in – the fact that she could not and will not ever control Oliver Davis.

"N-Noll..."

"You didn't tell me everything," Noll said. "You forget that I finished my degree years before you did. I was waiting for you to spill it, for a change – see if you were true to your word."

"What do you mean? I've been honest with you!"

Noll smirked. "Fascinating," he said. "And here I thought you really fit my father's descriptions. How did you feel when I acted the way you wished I did in front of your friends?"

Charlotte stiffened.

"You were so proud of yourself, weren't you?" Noll asked.

"You played with me," she whispered, still trying hard not to believe what she said.

"In a way, yes," Noll said. "I did. And I must admit it's entertaining – took me away from a lot of things I needed to get away from."

He watched her fists clench...tremble...Then she stood and hurled her palm against his cheek.

Noll caught her wrist before her hand made contact with his skin, and locked his blue eyes on hers. "I'm not stupid," he hissed, glaring at her very core.

He saw her tremble – fear gripping her insides.

"And you forget one thing about me you should accept if you love me," he harshly whispered. "That I have gifts that can uncover any lie you throw at me. I touched that paper, Charlotte. I touched the paper and saw your face in the café, your hand offer the paper to your bodyguard, your lips utter the order to slip it into Mai's pocket-"

Charlotte crumbled. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Noll let her wrist go.

She sat down on her chair and covered her face as she wept.

Luckily they were in a more private spot in the restaurant.

"Y-You would...hate me..."

Noll glared at her. "Again," he said. "I'm not stupid. One of the things I learned in school was reading people. Shall I tell you what you've been thinking about when I acted the way you wanted me to in front of those people? Shall I tell you what you've been thinking in those dinners we've shared? Shall I tell you when the thought of telling me about what you did crossed your mind? Shall I tell you-"

"Stop it!" she said, looking up at him. "I just loved you so much..."

"Did you..?" Noll hissed. "Tell me again why you didn't tell me. Whose loss was it?"

Charlotte frowned and glared at her. "You lied to Mai too!"

Noll sighed. "Mai knew I wasn't telling her everything," she said. "She knew I was going to tell her what it was that I was hiding when I was ready. **You** never thought about coming clean."

Charlotte winced and looked down at the salad on her plate. Not even its vibrant colours could cheer her up.

"I loved you," Charlotte said.

Noll shook his head. "You loved being with me," he said. "There's a difference."

Charlotte looked up at him, surprised.

"We're not teenagers anymore," he said. "Love isn't just about enjoying the presence of someone, or about enjoying the perks of being with that someone. You of all people should know that."

Charlotte shook her head. "Tell me then," she said. "Why did you love Mai? Wasn't it because you enjoyed being with her?"

Noll sighed. "If you asked me that before I went to Amsterdam, I would have said 'yes,'" he said. "But no. I loved her because I did. And I still do."

Charlotte stared confused at him.

"Why do you love your parents?" he asked. "Because they gave you life? Because they cared for you, clothed you, gave you what you wanted? If they didn't give you all those gifts, would you still love them?"

Charlotte looked down at her plate.

"Do you love them because that's what they expect from you in return for all the things they did for you? Or do you love them because you do?"

Charlotte covered her face, realizing what he wanted to tell her.

"I'm not the one you're looking for and you know it," Noll said, standing up from his seat.

Noll stared at the door to the office. They had put SPR on it, but he opted to call it something other than Society for Psychical Research.

He opened the door.

"There you are! Welcome back, Shibuya-san!"

* * *

><p>"Haunted building..?" Mai asked Yumi.<p>

She and her high school friends met in Shibuya 109. They've been planning to go shopping together for weeks but they were too busy with work and university life to do it, except on that particular weekend morning.

Mai took a leave from the Haruka-san's tea shop to meet them, just as her friends did with their jobs and supposed commitments.

"Yes," Yumi said. "Haven't you heard about it? It's your school after all."

Mai shrugged her shoulders.

They were checking out the clothes in several stalls when Yumi, Akira and Emiko started talking about urban legends and ghost stories – just like when they were in high school.

"They said someone committed suicide there," Akira said, browsing through a set of neon colored cardigans.

"And that someone has been haunting the place ever since," Emiko said, unfolding a pair of ripped skinny jeans.

"I heard they've been trying to renovate the building, but the ghost has been pestering anyone who even dared to take a nail out of the structure," Akira continued. "They've had several accidents, some of them even killing a number of carpenters there."

"Then the university owner decided to just demolish the building and build a new one," Yumi said, looking at a pair of vibrantly colored mini-skirts. "But the same things happened, only worse."

"A bulldozer went out of control and ran over several workers and four students who got curious at the commotion in the building," Akira whispered. "It was a school day. And they all died on the spot."

"Oh," Mai said, slightly frightened at the story...Okay. Frightened at the story. After all, she always had to pass the abandoned building on her way to her afternoon classes. Not to mention he passed the building on her way home from her last class every Tuesday and Thursday – the one that ended at seven in the evening or so. Her instructor in that particular subject loved to extend class hours for some reason.

And she did remember hearing noises in the building when she passed by the structure – creaking sounds as if someone was inside. But it looked so old she figured it was the ancient wood complaining about still being a part of the building.

"Well, it did seem like someone was there at night," Mai said. "I pass by it every time I go home from the last class I have every Tuesday and Thursday."

Yumi, Emiko and Akira gasped.

"Scary!" Yumi said. "Doesn't Takumi-kun fetch you from school?"

"He does," Mai answered. "But I always tell him to stay outside the gate."

"What if the ghost there attacks you?" Akira asked, anxious for her friend. "Takumi-kun should fetch you from your classroom!"

Mai chuckled. "No way," she said. "I've been passing by that building for months and no one's dared to attack me. Maybe it's scared of me or something."

Emiko shook her head. "Ghosts that violent aren't something you should ignore, Mai-chan."

Mai sighed. She knew that. Her memories in the Norringbent mansion with Master Norringbent still haunted her, especially when she realized how alone she was in her apartment. "Well, too bad the school didn't hire any paranormal investigators there."

Yumi, Akira and Emiko shrugged their shoulders.

"I heard it's quite expensive to hire one," Akira said.

"I heard they've tried exorcising the place," Emiko said. "But the monk who did the exorcism had a terrible accident in the building and broke his neck."

Mai, Yumi and Akira winced.

"That's one hell of a ghost," Mai muttered.

She suddenly wondered if Naru would be interested in such a case – if he would be there in Japan at all to investigate it.

Mai shook her head.

Impossible. Japan would be the last place he would want to go to. She was there after all. And...she was sure he hated her.

It did feel nice though, thinking about how one morning she would see him there investigating.

Mai sighed. What would have happened if she didn't leave him?

* * *

><p>Still remembering the story she heard from Yumi and Akira that morning, she decided to check the building.<p>

She always went to school early so snooping around the abandoned structure and making sure no one saw her doing it wasn't much of a problem for her.

Mai stood in front of the large doors that led to the inside of the building.

She noticed the molds, the cracks, the stains, and the old scent permeating from the structure. Many of the glass windows were foggy, cracked and broken. She peeped into one broken window and saw nothing but eerie darkness beyond it.

Chills crept up her spine as the scent of something rotten touched her nose. She gagged and stepped away from the window.

Snooping around the building suddenly didn't look like a good idea.

Mai sighed and turned away, thinking she should just ignore the stories and go on with her life.

Then her brown eyes spotted something in one of the windows...a cord..?

Mai walked to the window and peeped into it, following the black cord. It seemed to lead to...a black box...a camera?

She stared, jaw dropped, at the camera inside the room. Who would put something like that in there? And why would they put such expensive equipment inside an old, haunted, and decrepit building?

Mai turned to the door.

Something wrong was going on and she didn't like it. First, the ghost caused the deaths of so many people. Now, it was stealing expensive things?

There was no way a ghost could lift something that huge...right? And put it inside the building?

Someone was behind it. And that someone was scaring people! He should be taught a lesson, whoever he was!

Mai opened the door and walked into the building, ignoring the smell of mold and old wood wafting her way. She ignored the darkness of the hall, summoned all the courage she could muster to keep herself from trembling too much at what she was about to do.

There was no ghost. There was just someone who was playing pranks on people and stealing expensive school property! And that someone was going to get caught – big time!

Mai walked into the room where the camera was. She examined the camera up close and saw a small red light on it.

...It was on and recording..? But recording what?

Mai looked at where the lens of the camera was focused on. It was a set of old wooden arm chairs, a moldy and discoloured, cracked wall...

What could it be filming?

Mai stepped further into the room, wondering what kind of idiot would want to film a dark, eerie looking classroom. The floor creaked with every step she made. Just as she stood beside an old shelf, the probable answer flashed into her thoughts.

Perhaps the camera wasn't filming the room. Perhaps it was trying to film something else in the room...like...a ghost..?

"YOU!" she heard someone shout from behind her.

She gasped and swiftly turned around, her arm hitting the nearby shelf. On the open door was a man...a towering man. She could barely see his face but his height alone was enough to fright her.

Mai screamed and stepped back, the floor creaking underneath her.

"STOP! Don't move!" the man said raising his hands.

She stopped moving but the creaking sound didn't stop. It instead grew louder. She looked around, puzzled, and realized that the old shelf on her right was leaning closer toward her.

Mai froze as her brain realized what was happening.

Anticipating the wooden shelf crashing on her face she shut her eyes. Then she felt herself crash down on the ground – a loud rumbling sound of things toppling to the ground filling her ears. Dusts filled her senses and she coughed out the moldy scent.

"Lin!" she heard someone call. Everything seemed hazy and for a moment there, she thought it was Naru who called.

Mai squinted and opened her eyes. She found her self on the dusty cold floor. She gasped when she realized she wasn't underneath the shelf. She looked around and saw the towering man on the floor beside her.

The shelf crashed over him and it was only then that she realized what happened.

"Oh no," she gasped, quickly crawling to see how he was.

A man was already kneeling beside him though, asking him what happened.

Mai noticed something wet oozing from the man's forehead. And his left foot seemed stuck in the debris.

"I'm so sorry," she quickly said, pulling out a handkerchief from her pocket to wipe the blood on his forehead. But before the cloth could touch his hair, the man swatted her hand away, wincing in pain.

"Don't touch me!" he hissed, eyes shut.

Guilt filled Mai's lungs. "I'm so sorry...I really am...I'm sorry I-"

"Why are you even here?" the other man asked.

The voice sounded like Naru's again.

"I thought someone was playing tricks here in the building!" Mai answered, turning to look at the man. The room was dark. And she could barely see his face. His hair and build reminded her of Naru though, and the thought stabbed her deep in the chest.

"Shouldn't you be in your class?" the man said, sounding so much like the man Mai longed to see. But it wasn't him, right? Naru was in England! "The first class schedule should have started by now."

Mai gasped. She was late?!

"B-but-"

"Get out," the man said. "You'll only make things worse."

Mai frowned. "I'm really sorry," she told the tall man who was flinching in pain. She then stood up and ran out the door.

"Sorry," Lin muttered under his breath. "I was too harsh on her."

"She wouldn't listen if you didn't sound like she should listen to you," Naru said, helping Lin up.

"So she **is** here," Lin said, realizing how broken his leg could be. "Are you going to prioritize this case over her?"

"No," Naru said, supporting Lin's weight on his shoulder. "I'm taking you to the hospital."


	40. Chapter 40

_Thank you all so much for reading "Where is home?" and for your patience in waiting for the next chapter! _^ v ^

_"would it be possible for you to update two chapters per week?" - um unfortunately, no. I still really have a lot on my plate and I'm **seriously** considering on updating once every two weeks. _

_"another sequel for mai and naru living a married life" - um...not sure I'm in the mood to write one. There's a lot of good ones here in FFic. And I have this feeling that if I do write one, I'll tear up their marriage for fun _^ v ^

_"I wonder what Naru was saying "No" to at the end of the chapter?" - well, he said "No, I'm taking you to the hospital." Um...it's like telling Lin that his priority at that moment was getting him patched up . _* v *

_Anyway, here is this week's chapter. Do tell me what you think about it!_

* * *

><p>"You okay?" Sho-kun asked, worried at how Mai seemed to stare at nowhere when she walked out the door of her last class for the day.<p>

It was still around four in the afternoon. But Mai spent the whole day wondering about how the man in the abandoned building was doing – about the injury he got from saving her that morning. She could still remember the dark liquid that streamed down the man's forehead.

She was sure it was blood.

And were they able to get his leg out of the debris?

Then there was the man who sounded like Naru. He spoke like him too – arrogant and jerk-like. But she couldn't blame them for the hostility. They were probably there for a job or a school work since the man who sounded like Naru looked like he was a university student like Sho-kun.

Then she wrecked up the room and got one of them injured. Talk about being a nuisance.

"Mai..?" Sho asked, tapping her shoulder.

Mai stiffened and looked up at him. "Sho-kun! I'm sorry...What were you saying?"

Sho sighed. "I was asking you what happened to you this morning," he said. "You've been worried the whole day. Is it Takumi-kun?"

"What..? Oh no! No, not Takumi-kun," Mai shyly answered. "I...It's nothing."

Sho frowned. "Mai-chan," he said.

Mai smiled at him. "I know, Sho-kun. I just...I don't know how to-"

"Mai-chan!" called someone from down the hall.

Mai and Sho looked to see who it was.

Miyako, one of the student assistants in the university walked giddily toward them.

"Miyako-chan," Mai greeted.

Miyako smiled. "Someone wants to see you," she said. "He's in the registrar's lobby."

Mai gasped. "Takumi-kun? Was there an emergency?"

"Oh no, not Takumi-kun," Miyako said, cheeks blushing. "J-Just follow me!" she said excitedly.

"I'm coming with you," Sho said, worried about Mai.

* * *

><p>They headed to the office, unsure on what was happening.<p>

"Who wants to see her?" Sho asked Miyako.

"He said you know him, Mai," she answered, glancing at Mai.

"Well what if he doesn't know him?" Sho asked. "What if he's just pretending that she knows him?"

"Then the guards will kick him out," Miyako said, rolling her eyes. "I doubt he's a bad man though," she muttered, blushing again.

Mai suddenly felt like Bou-san was the one who wanted to see her. After all, he made a lot of teenagers blush.

But if it was Bou-san, he would just give her a call. Why would he have to meet her in the registrar's office?

After almost running through several halls, they reached the office. Mai found herself feeling as giddy as Miyako for some reason. It was like her body knew whoever was waiting to see her.

Miyako walked into the office first. "Sorry for the wait, Shibuya-san," she said. "She's here now."

"Sh-Shibuya-san?!" Mai gasped, still standing outside the office.

"You know him?" Sho asked.

Mai swallowed.

Perhaps it was the **real** Shibuya-san. And he was probably wondering why someone used his name a couple of years ago! She must be under investigation for helping an extortionist! But Naru was not a criminal! And there was no way that she would let those people get to him just because he used a name that he didn't know was already owned by a real person.

"Come in, Mai-chan!" Miyako hissed, looking at her. "He's been waiting for you!"

Mai stiffly nodded and walked into the office with Sho following behind her. He placed wrapped his arm around her shoulders, worried about how tense she became at the sound of the stranger's name.

Sho saw a man around his age sitting on the sofa of the registrar's lounge. The man's eyes were closed. He was sipping tea.

Though he looked like a student in the university, he appeared more like a highly sophisticated man – one who earned quite a lot of money. He noticed how neatly his dark hair was whipped away from his face, and the stylish dark blue long-sleeve shirt, paired with a pair of black slacks he was wearing. He looked like a fashion model for an expensive clothing line. And the pair of leather shoes he wore! It looked pretty damn expensive.

"N-naru?!" Mai gasped.

Sho stared surprised at Mai. Sure Takumi could pass as a man with money, but this 'Shibuya-san' guy looked more like an elite rich kid.

And Mai really knew him?

Sho watched the man look up at them. He stiffened at the sight of his blue eyes.

No wonder Miyako looked so giddy.

Mai could feel her heart ram painfully against her chest, as if all it wanted to do was jump out of her rib cage and give Naru a hug. She knew her jaw had dropped and her brown eyes had widened...and she didn't care.

Naru could **not** be in the same room she was in. He was in England! He wasn't in Japan! He wouldn't be there to see her! He hated her for what she did!

Mai squinted, scratched her eyes and looked at the man again.

But Naru was still there.

And he stood up in that graceful manner she knew so well.

"Mai," he said.

Mai wanted to cry. Her vision began to blur.

"Mai-chan, are you alright?" Sho asked, wiping her tears with his thumb. It was only then that she realized he was there.

Naru raised a brow at the scene.

Who the hell was he anyway?

Mai smiled at Sho. "Uh...Th-Thanks," she said. "I'm okay."

Sho looked defensively at Naru. "Who are you?"

Naru raised his brows at the man. "My apologies, but shouldn't **I** be the one asking you that question?" he said. "I was only supposed to meet Taniyama Mai."

Sho stiffened. "I'm Sho," he said, gathering all the courage he could muster for the moment. "I'm Mai's...friend."

Friend.

Naru wanted to roll his eyes. Apparently she hadn't changed much in the past ten months.

"Who would you be?" Sho asked, obviously trying to look brave in front of Mai.

"Uh...Sho-kun," Mai said shyly. "I-it's okay, really. I can-"

"I'm not leaving you," Sho said, giving Mai **the look**.

Naru walked closer to the two. "I would like to speak with Taniyama-san in private," he said.

Sho looked at him. "I'm her friend," he said. "You want to tell her something? You can say it in front of me."

"Sho-kun-"

"I doubt you have a say on this," Naru replied. "You're just her friend."

Sho glared at Naru. He knew Shibuya-san was right but **damn**. There was no way he would let the guy do something to Mai.

The rich kid was a threat. He could feel it!

Mai winced, knowing something wrong was going to happen.

Naru leaned his head closer to Sho-kun, his lips whispering something to his ear.

Mai didn't quite hear what he said, but whatever it was it made Sho stiff as a pole – his eyes wide with shock.

"Now, if you would excuse us," Naru said, almost dragging Mai out of the office by her arm. "Thank you, Ichido-san," he told Miyako before he left the office.

Sho stood still in his place, still shocked at what he heard.

* * *

><p>"What on earth did you do to Sho-kun?!" Mai cried, as Naru half-dragged her to an empty hallway.<p>

Naru released her arm and turned to look at her – his blue eyes glaring at her brown ones. "I asked an audience with you, not with you and your friend."

Mai frowned, trying to hide the blush on her cheeks. "Why are you here anyway?" she muttered.

"Have you forgotten what you did this morning?"

"This morning..? What do you mean 'this morning'? I didn't see you-" She then remembered what happened that morning...in that abandoned building...where she snooped around a camera...and had a man injured for saving her.

"Yes you did," Naru said.

Mai gasped. "Oh no! Oh dear! That was...That was really you?! And the man..! Oh dear! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to get your boss hurt! I'm really sorry...How is he?"

"He broke his leg, thanks to you," Naru said.

Mai winced, guilt slamming her in the face.

"We can sue you for physical injury."

Mai gasped. "B-but I-"

"But we can skip that if you pay for his medical bills."

Mai stared shocked at Naru. "H-how...How much..."

"Around ¥5, 000 000.00," Naru said, knowing what her question was. "...And counting. He hasn't acquired an insurance account here in Japan and he had several health complications. You're lucky you didn't damage the camera. You'll only have to pay for some parts that need to be replaced. The cheapest one would be around 80, 000 000.00."

Mai swallowed. Sure she was working part-time and maintaining her own apartment but that amount was just something her bank account only dreamed of!

"I...I don't have that amount of money..."

"I know," Naru said. "That's why you'll work in exchange for the payment."

Mai's eyes went wide for the third time that day. "I'll work for your boss instead?"

"There's only two of us working here, and without one hand to help doing what needs to be done, our work is screwed," Naru explained.

Mai winced.

And that was her fault.

She nodded, understanding the point. "So you're working here, huh?"

"That was our case," he answered.

"Oh! So you were hunting ghosts there! That's why that camera was in that room, right?"

"Good," Naru muttered, turning away. "Your brain is still working apparently."

Mai frowned. "Jerk," she hissed, following him. But then she realized the mess she had made – one, she got in the way of Naru's work. Hopefully the accident didn't wreck the camera that much. Naru did say they just need to replace some of its parts. Two, she had Naru's boss wounded. And the boss was probably pissed at Naru when he learned that he and Mai knew each other. Three, with one man out of the equation, she disrupted the schedule they might be following in their work – making the university think they were incompetent for the job.

She sighed. "I'm really sorry for what happened to your boss," she said. "I'll help you out with whatever you need to do in your work."

"I wasn't asking your help," Naru said before turning to look at her. "I was telling you that you either work for us or foot his bills. Since you obviously can't do the latter, you'll work for us."

Mai frowned, her cheeks flushed. "That was what I meant," she mumbled.

Naru turned away. "And it wasn't my boss who got injured," he said. "It was my assistant."

"Eh..?" Mai gasped, staring shocked at Naru. "A-Assistant..?"

Naru turned to look at her again. "I'm the president of Shibuya Psychic Research and we were hired by the university to investigate on the reported paranormal activities in the abandoned building. You don't have any more classes to attend to today, correct?"

"Y-Yes."

"Start walking then," he said turning away. "We have a lot of work to do."

Mai sighed and followed him.

She had to admit she was pretty excited about being with Naru again. If only...if only they could go back to being...Friends at least..?

Impossible. He hated her. She just knew he hated her. And he probably already had that British scientist as his wife.

...Which reminded her...

"Wait! I need to meet someone first," she said walking quickly to stand beside him. "He might be waiting for me at the gate."

Naru glared coldly at her. "Call that someone. We have work to do."

Mai winced at the icy glare and stiffly nodded. Naru was pretty scary. And he seemed quite a workaholic. Well, he always had that kind of air.

She fished out her mobile phone from her bag and dialled Takumi's number. "Takumi-kun," she said when Takumi picked up the call. She took a peak at Naru and saw no change in his facial expression. It was as if he didn't hear her say his name.

See? No jealousy there. Wait! Why the hell would she expect to see something like that on Naru's face? He's **married**!

"I'll be staying here in the university for a while longer so...oh? So you can't come here too...That's okay. Don't worry, I can manage. I know my way home," she said chucking. "Thanks, Takumi-kun!"

Naru tried not to sigh. She was still the same Mai who didn't care much about herself.

"So what should I call you now?" Mai asked, catching up with Naru. "Dr. Davis?"

Naru glared at her. "My name is Shibuya Kazuya," he said. "Thank you for asking."

Mai winced again and looked away, cheeks red. "Y-Yes...Shibuya-san."

* * *

><p>Mai stared at the stairs leading to the second floor.<p>

The sun was setting and the soft, warm light barely reduced the eeriness of the decrepit building. She could still smell the old scent of the rooms – the mold, the dust, and that rotten-

"Mai."

Mai jumped, gasping in shock before she turned to look behind her.

Naru was there with a black 12" LCD monitor in hand. "Take this to the room in your right."

"Y-yes!" She said, taking the monitor and quickly running into the room – the floor creaking with each step she made.

She saw a steel shelf in the room, already holding a number of monitors that were switched on. She placed the monitor on an empty space in the shelf, her eyes fixed at the monitors that seemed to be showing several other rooms in the building.

So the camera she saw in that room...wasn't the only camera in the building. But why put that many cameras there? And why did some of the monitors show fuzzy streaks of colour on its screen?

"Those are from the thermograph cameras," she heard Naru say from behind her. It was then that she realized how close her face was to one of the fuzzy-pictured monitors.

"Th-Thermograph cameras..? So...That's what you call that camera in the other room?" Mai asked.

"No," Naru answered, dropping loops of black cords on a nearby table. He began attaching one end of the cord to the monitor Mai placed on the shelf. "That was an infrared camera. Which reminds me," he said, turning to look at her. "We'll need to start installing the super high speed cameras."

"The super-what..?"

Naru sighed. "We have three types of cameras in hand," he said. "The infrared cameras and the super high-speed cameras used when shooting in the dark, and the thermograph cameras that captures temperature levels."

"You record temperature levels?" Mai asked as Naru finished fixing some wiring.

"When a ghost appears, the temperature in the surrounding area drops," Naru explained. "That's why we practice thermography here."

Mai nodded slowly, making sure she remembered what he told her.

"And just so you don't ask any more questions, thermography is just measuring temperature," he said before turning to the door. "Now help me get the cameras ready."

"Yes, boss!" she cheerfully answered, quickly running to his side. She knew he just insulted her intelligence back there, but she didn't care much anymore. She was going to see him work – something she didn't think she would be able to do.

Perhaps they could never go back to being what they were before. But at least he still gave her the chance to be there with him.

* * *

><p>He led her to a van parked somewhere in the side of the building.<p>

Mai wondered how she didn't notice the vehicle there earlier. Perhaps that was how Naru's boss – correction: assistant – got to her that quickly earlier in the morning.

Naru opened the back door of the van, revealing a stack of gadgets and cords. And sure enough, it included a number of cameras that looked almost the same.

He handed her one of the cameras.

Mai took it and gasped at the sudden pull of the equipment on her arms.

Naru raised a brow at her.

"I-I'm good!" she said, hugging the heavy camera and trying hard not to drop it.

"Good," he said. "...Because it will take more than a life-time of servitude from you to purchase another one of that."

Mai cringed. "C-Can I get this into the building first?" she asked, clearly afraid of dropping the camera.

"Hurry up," Naru muttered, turning away to hide a smirk. "Take it to the base."

Mai quickly but carefully turned to the building. "B-base..?"

"The room with the monitors," Naru answered, picking up another camera in the van.

"Oh! So that's the base," she said breathing heavily with the weight. "Okay. I-I'll be back." She then quickly but carefully took the camera inside the building.

She placed the camera on the floor, afraid the old tables were too weak to handle the weight. She stretched her back and took several deep breaths...Only to realize she was inhaling dusts.

Mai coughed out loudly, muttering about how they should have swept the place clean first.

Judging by the floor though, Naru and his assistant did try to clean the place up. The rest of the building's ancient rooms just spread the scent in almost every part of the structure, even the base that had been swept and dusted.

It was in looking around the room that Mai noticed a computer set up near the shelf of monitors.

She approached the computer and noted the green light on the flat-screen monitor. The monitor itself wasn't showing anything, probably because it wasn't supposed to be used yet.

Mai sighed.

Naru really took ghost hunting seriously. She had seen several TV shows featuring ghost hunters. And though many of them used a number of advance thingamabobs, their cool gadgets didn't match the sophistication of Naru's hunting tools.

She suddenly wondered if he also kept salt-filled bullets and guns.

Mai noticed another equipment on a nearby table – a box that seemed like an oversized tape recorder. A lot of the wires attached to it led somewhere outside the room...to the hall...

A red light was on in the device and she leaned closer to see if the two wheels in the recorder were turning.

"That's a tape recorder," she heard Naru say from behind her.

Mai gasped, jumping and turning to face him. "STOP THAT!"

Naru glared at her.

It was then that she noticed the two cameras held by each of his hands.

"I told you to hurry up," he said. "Not stare at the equipments."

"I-I was taking a breather!" Mai defended, embarrassed at what she did. "A-are there more in the van?"

"See for yourself," Naru answered, placing the cameras down beside the camera Mai brought into the room.

Mai sighed.

Great. She pissed him off more. Now there was no way he would want to at least be friends with her.

She walked out of the room, determined to do what she was told to do.

Naru watched her leave from the corner of his eyes and sighed.

* * *

><p>Lin sighed, listening to Madoka's anxious nagging from the other side of the line.<p>

He sat on a hospital bed with a plaster on his foot. Thanks to Taniyama Mai, he would have to walk around with crutch. Not to mention he had to listen to Madoka's nagging on the phone.

"I know," he said, holding his mobile phone against his ear. "I'm alright though."

"**YOU'RE WALKING WITH A CRUTCH! YOU ARE NOT OKAY!**"

Lin winced. Madoka was right. He was anything but alright. Though he was glad they found Mai, he was also annoyed that he had to be injured in the process.

The girl was just trouble.

For a moment there, he thought Charlotte was indeed better for Noll. At least she didn't put people in trouble with her ignorance.

"I'm flying to Japan," he heard his fiancée say, and it jolted him from his thoughts.

"No!" he said, knowing how Madoka would be the moment she walked out the airplane to meet him. Sure, he liked how she would take care of him and make sure he was fine, but Madoka had the tendency to overreact, hover, and yes – nag. It would only be putting salt on an already opened wound.

"What do you mean? You don't want me to be there with you?!"

"No dear. That's not it," Lin said. "They need you there. I want to have you here with me of course but we're in this set up for a reason. And don't worry. Noll helps me."

He heard her give a heavy sigh. "Are you sure you'll be okay? I can take a few days off here. And Noll doesn't know how to cook your favourite soup."

Lin chuckled. He wanted to tell her he changed his mind and he would be on his way to the airport to meet her. But it wasn't his brain talking. "I really want you to be here," he said. "I do. But it wouldn't be wise."

Silence.

Lin smirked. Madoka was pouting.

"How about in a week or so?" Lin asked.

He could sense her lips curve in a smile. "I'll think about it," she said. "You did push me away already."

Lin sighed.

Madoka chuckled. "Be careful," she said. "...Extremely careful."

Lin smiled. "Okay," he said. "You too. I'm still marrying you."

"Aww," Madoka crooned. "That's just disgusting."

"I know," he said. "So stop moping around. I can only try to be sweet for so long."

Madoka laughed. "So you've seen her, huh? How is she?"

Lin grunted, frowning at his injured leg. "Curious, clumsy, Japanese."

Madoka chuckled. "...Xenophobe..."

Lin rolled his eyes. "I'm speaking as I see it."


	41. Chapter 41

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing "Where is home?" Oh and for patiently waiting for the next chapter. _

_So I've decided to try my best to upload chapters on a weekly basis. But if I really can't update the story, I'll upload the next chapter on the following week. So if, for example, you don't find any update next week, that means I'll be uploading the chapter on the week after that. _

_I'm still really busy right now, so please bear with me for now. _* v *

_I read a lot of disappointment with the previous chapter. But I must say..._

_THREE CHEERS FOR _**Ferb O.** **Oche**_! _^ v ^ _NICE ATTENTION TO DETAIL!_

_And for the other _Guest_ who noticed that detail. Ferb saw it first though, at least that was my understanding based on the review list. _

_I would gladly appreciate reading names (even super fake names) in anonymous reviews. I would like to address all of you properly (like in answering questions and commending you for an achievement you don't know you just did in this story) without confusing other anonymous reviewers. _

_But if it's not possible, it's okay. _^ v ^_ Congratulations to _**Guest**_ for paying attention to that detail too!_

_And_ **sayaka86_,_ **_GOOD JOB! _^ v *

_Okay so you three may not know why I just commended you, but you really did a good job. I didn't think anyone caught those. I really want to give you a prize or a gift, but I'm not sure how that could be done, and what I could give you. _* v *

_"And I was wondering, is this story gonna be like Key? Y'know, lotsa chapters" - I'm honestly hoping it doesn't turn out like 'Key,' _**Your fan. **_80 freaking chapters is a record I'm not really motivated to break since a lot of people didn't really like how the story...went(?)_

_" If you're not planning to do a "mai and naru married life" thing [which i actually think you really should, even though other people have written them it doesn't matter at all. because other people aren't you and i do like your ideas and how you write]" - Um that's really not the reason why I'm not planning to write one, _**Emina105**_. _

_It's...because...well... the storyline is too predictable for me, at least for now. I just think it would end up like all the other married NaMai fics on FFic - about how they adjust as a married couple, or how they reproduce, or how they care for their progeny, or how they balance SPR work and family life...And I think we've got plenty of good ones on FFic with that storyline. _

_I'm still open to the idea though. But I'm also still looking for a different story line for that. Like I said before, I might just end up separating them just to make the story exciting and interesting for me _^ v ^ _which I understand would annoy **a lot** of readers. _

_LOL on the reviews about Lin's racism in the previous chapter _^ v ^

_With all of those done, here is this week's chapter. Do tell me what you think about it. _* v *

* * *

><p>"That would be all for today," Naru said checking the image on the monitors.<p>

They set up the cameras, checked the microphones that had been placed in several rooms in the building, checked the connection of each device in the computer kept in the base, and made sure all the equipment needed were secured. It was already dark when Naru decided to call it a day.

"Okay," Mai said shyly.

He acted professionally with her the whole time. Well...like a boss annoyed at the lack of knowledge his assistant had, but other than that, he acted...

...Like he hadn't known Mai that long. Like they hadn't shared one roof, one bed, one home...Like they hadn't hugged, and held each other's hands, and kissed...

He acted like whatever they had before, was gone. And perhaps it was.

Mai tried not to wince at the pain that surged through her chest. She had imagined seeing Naru again. And in her thoughts, he scolded her – told her she shouldn't have left, called her an idiot...and it ended with Mai wrapped tightly in his arms.

Earth to Mai – that wasn't how things went. Not everything people plan, people expect, or people imagine come true. If they did, they wouldn't be called imaginings.

Mai knew that. She had always known that. So a part of her didn't expect Naru would warm up to her like before.

She hurt him. She deserved the coldness looming between them.

Mai looked away for a moment, not quite settled at the thought that she should walk out the building and head home. "Um...You're going home too?"

Naru didn't look at her. He kept his eyes on the screen as he tapped a few keys on the keyboard. "No," he answered. "Go home."

Mai stiffly nodded, hurt at his apathy.

"I'll...see you tomorrow then," she said, turning to the door. She glanced at him one last time – eyes filled with sadness and regret.

"I'm sorry," Naru heard her say. "I really am." Then he heard her run out of the building...heard her footsteps echo on the pavement that lead to the gate of the university...

He knew the apology wasn't just for what happened that morning.

Naru sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He had been trying to ignore the sting in his chest. He didn't think it would be that painful – seeing her again. He didn't even think it would be that difficult to do.

But it had been difficult. And hearing her saying those words...

Naru took a deep breath - struggling against the pain he felt inside him.

* * *

><p>Mai buried her face on her pillow. She still slept hugging a large pillow, feeling, when sleep claimed her, like Naru was still there with her – protecting her and keeping her in his side.<p>

But seeing him that day, spending the afternoon with him...she preferred holding the pillow in her arms than him.

She knew she deserved it. She had been insisting she did. But it still hurt! It still annoyed her...irritated her to witt's end!

Mai wanted her back...but there was no way she would ever have him again. And that afternoon gave her enough proof of that.

"Mai-chan," she heard Takumi's voice on the phone. She remembered that he had him on speaker.

He called her the minute she sent him a message that she reached her apartment. He asked her how her day was, just like when he gave her a ride home.

"Are you still there?" he asked.

"Y-yes, I'm here," she answered, embarrassed at how her thoughts had flown to Naru again.

She heard him sigh. "Do you want to be with Naru?"

"W-What?" Mai asked – cheeks flushed. "W-Weren't we talking about psychology?"

Takumi chuckled. "Yes," he said. "Now I want us to talk about Naru. So...Do you still want to be with him?"

Mai frowned. "Why do you want to talk about him?" she asked, scratching her pillow. She then pulled her blanket over her shoulder.

"You saw him earlier," he said.

Mai told him about Naru too. He was the reason why she had to go home late after all.

"So..?" Mai asked. "I told you it was strictly professional."

"But you didn't want it to be that way," Takumi said.

Mai cringed.

No. She wanted it to be like what she imagined – both of them explaining their sides of the story, nagging at each other only to give up and admit that they needed each other.

"Do you still want to be with him?"

"Why are you asking me this?" she whispered, looking up at the mobile phone she placed on the table beside her bed.

"I want to know," Takumi answered. "Just tell me. It's not like I can do anything about it. I can't convince him to change his mind about you anyway."

Mai sighed and nodded.

What was the point of denying it to Takumi-kun of all people? He could read her like an open book. And he was right, he won't be able to do anything to change what was already there.

"I do," Takumi heard her say...almost whisper.

He smirked and nodded. "I'm sorry," he said and he meant it. He could have just accepted the fact that she wasn't his – she could **never** be his. But he pursuaded her to leave. In a way, he knew, he played a crucial part in their separation.

"Don't be," she heard her say. "It was my decision, remember? If there's anyone here who should be blamed, it's me. I was stupid."

Takumi shrugged his shoulders, leaning back on his couch. "None of us expected it would be like this."

Mai smiled and wiped the tears in her eyes.

Not really. She knew, in the back of her mind, that Naru would forever be a part of her...even when he no longer considered her as a part of him.

"You know," Takumi said. "There's nothing wrong with fighting for what you want.

Mai's ears perked up.

"Especially when there's a chance that he wants you to fight for it," he continued.

"Takumi-kun," she said, sitting up. "What do you mean?"

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you don't want me there?" Lin asked, sitting on the couch with his paraffin-covered leg stretched on the cushion.<p>

Noll was busy stuffing folders in his black file bag. It was six in the morning, and though he wanted to sleep in that day, he had to work – early.

Lin leaned forward, placing his tea-cup on the center table across from him. He watched Noll prepare breakfast, and get himself ready for work in the living room. He had to admit he was amazed at how Noll easily managed their kitchen – knowing what utensil is for, and what food he needed to mix to whip up an edible breakfast.

Noll prepared sunny-side up eggs, bacons, and frankfurters. He also prepared some tea and toast. Lin rarely saw Noll cook intricately. Gene was the one who seemed to like cooking more, and Gene usually just cooked waffles and pancakes.

"Not to undermine Taniyama-san," Lin said, looking at Noll. "But she has no knowledge or understanding of what we do and how we do it."

Noll zipped his bag. "I'm well aware of her idiocy," he said, clutching the handle of his bag and letting his eyes scan the place for the van's keys.

Lin raised a brow at him. "Why hire her then?" he asked. "We can just call for back up if you don't want me there."

"And wait for how long in the airport?" Noll said taking the keys on a side table. He also picked up a black lunch bag from the kitchen counter. "Delay the investigation?"

Lin frowned. "I can walk."

Noll looked at him. "You can hobble," he countered.

Lin sighed. "I can sit in the base and monitor things."

"I need someone to carry equipment," Noll said.

"And Taniyama-san can do that?" Lin asked.

"Apparently she just did," Noll answered. "I'll be going now. I'm giving you this entire day to decide what I should do next on your concern. Two choices," he said, raising to fingers as if he was talking to a child. "One, you follow the doctor's advice and you enjoy your stay here for the next few days. Two, I call Madoka and let her help out with the decision-making."

Lin stiffened and looked away. The last option meant Madoka would fly to Japan and take care of him until he could walk without a crutch. "Drive safely," he muttered.

"I know," Noll said. "You know where the food is so feed yourself." He then walked out the door.

Lin looked at the closed door and sighed.

Noll had always sounded cold and rude. But his actions usually reflected otherwise.

Lin grabbed his underarm crutch and hobbled to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and saw a couple of microwaveble bowls covered with cling wrap. One was labeled lunch, another was labeled dinner, and another was labeled snack.

He smirked. Now he knew what Noll did late that night in the kitchen. He did remember smelling several sumptuous scents before he fell asleep.

* * *

><p>"So what are you planning to do today?" Ayako asked from the other line.<p>

Mai was walking to the university that morning. She was scheduled to meet Naru there at seven in the morning. She was on her way when she received a call from Bou-san's mobile phone.

"I'm planning to work on that new sideline job I told you about," Mai answered, blushing slightly at how she tried to hide Naru's involvement in her new moonlighting work.

She told Ayako and Bou-san, through that phone conversation, about how a man got injured the day before because of her and how she ended up working as an assistant in an investigation to pay for the man's medical expenses.

"Oh," Ayako said. "How long are you going to be there?"

"Um…the whole day, I think..." Mai said, clueless about how long she would be with Naru. She hoped she would stay there with him for a long while though.

"I see…What was that investigation about again? …A murder? Are you sure I can't just pay for the man's expenses? Just pay me back later, since I know your pride would eat you up once I paid it."

Mai chuckled. "Nah, I'm okay, Ayako. Thanks though. I really appreciate it."

"I would feel better if you accept my offer."

"So where are you again?" Mai asked, trying to swerve the conversation away from Naru…or from the new sideline job.

"Oh we're on our way back to Shibuya," Ayako answered. "I still can't understand how this happened."

Both Ayako and Takigawa were out of town on exorcism jobs. After finishing the job, they received a call from Yasuhara telling them about a client in Shibuya who wanted to employ their services.

But it wasn't until they saw each other in the train that they realized the client who employed them, employed both of them for one job.

"That's because the client doesn't trust your Miko skills," Mai heard Takigawa tease from the other line.

Mai chuckled as a loud thump echoed from the other line. "Shut up," Ayako said. "Maybe the client hired be because he knew you won't be able to do anything about the problem. You **have** been more into playing your guitar than exorcising."

"What exactly have you accomplished, old hag?" Takigawa countered. "I don't recall hearing anything about your accomplishments. For all I know, you're just a fake Miko."

"How dare you! I am **not** a fake Miko!"

Mai sighed. She was sure Takigawa would have a huge bruise on his head by the time they reach Shibuya. "Hey, you guys, don't be like that to each other. You'll be working together after all. You don't want the client to see you two doing that, right?"

Ayako and Takigawa groaned. "It was this idiot's fault," they both said.

And Mai was sure they were glaring at each other. She laughed. "Fine," she said. "I'll be crossing the street now. I'll see both of you soon?"

"Absolutely!" Ayako answered. "Take care!"

"Yeah! Call Bou-san if that new boss of yours bullies your around or does anything bad to you, okay?" Takigawa said, probably grabbing the phone from Ayako's grasp. "Bou-san loves you, Jou-chan!"

"I love you more, Mai-chan!" Ayako said, in the background.

Mai chuckled. The two of them had been acting like her parents since she came back from Amsterdam.

"I love both of you too," she said before ending the call with a click. She looked at the almost empty street and the quiet buildings around her.

There were a lot of people already, mostly working people. It was too early to see teenagers walking in the malls after all.

Mai took a deep breath and crossed the street.

Hopefully, her time with Naru that day would be better than yesterday.

* * *

><p>Mai walked to the old college building wearing a pair of moss-green cargo Capri pants, a beige hooded shirt, and a pair of brown canvas Vans.<p>

She also paid Haruka-san a visit earlier in the day, telling her about how she had to meet Naru in the university.

Mai could still remember how excited the old woman was at the news about her 'reuniting' with Naru. She thought they hugged and kissed and reconciled.

Mai told her how cold and simple their interaction was – how professional he had been, how impatient he acted, how they talked like nothing special happened between them in the past.

But Haruka-san remained hopeful.

"He has his pride," she remembered her say with an assuring smile on her face. "And did you even tell him you were sorry about what you did? Did you tell him you're still single and in love with him?"

Mai blushed at the thought. She took a deep breath and sighed.

She apologized that night. Hopefully, he understood what she said. Maybe she should apologize to him again later. But should she tell him she was still in love with him?

He was married already.

"Did you see a ring on his finger?" she remembered Haruka-san ask when she told her about Naru's possible relationship status.

No. Naru didn't seem to have a ring on any of his fingers. Maybe he was wearing it as a necklace though! Mai had seen it on TV. Only...it was usually worn by the married girl, not the married guy.

And he was doing a lot of stuff. Wearing the ring might just keep him from getting his hands dirty. So maybe he was just keeping the ring in some safe place – in his pocket, in a box... Point is, she was sure he had one.

She was sure he was already married.

Mai winced. It still hurt. She wanted to thrash and yell and curse and hit something...but it wasn't right. Besides, she had work to do – work...work she almost didn't want to do.

Mai stepped into the building, her eyes looking out for any sign of Naru. And sure enough she saw him in "the base," staring at one of the monitors with an expensive headset on his...well...head.

She sighed, admiring how handsome he looked in his neat navy blue long-sleeve, dark grey pants, and polished leather shoes.

Mai could see his blue eyes burn with anticipation at what he was watching. She stepped closer to the door and tried to see what was on the screen.

It was an image of one of the rooms – a video in fast forward, though it seemed more like a picture of the room since nothing else happened in video.

She suddenly wondered what the cameras captured last night. Did it caught an image of a ghost? A pale girl floating in the halls? A curious ghost glaring at its lens? A shadow lurking in a corner? Animals-

"Are you here to spy on me? Or to work for me?" Naru's voice echoed in the room.

Mai gasped and stiffened. She shyly scratched her head and bowed. "I-I'm sorry," she said. "You seemed busy so I-"

"Tea," Naru said, his blue eyes still fixed at the screen.

"W-What..?"

"Make me a cup of tea," Naru ordered.

"Eh..? Tea?" Mai asked, confused at what he wanted her to do.

First of all, there was no kitchen in the building. It had no room with a working stove, and a stock of pots and cups, and bags of tea. And she didn't think the water in the pipes of the building, if they even worked, was clean enough to drink. What if blood flowed out of the faucets in the building?!

Mai tried hard not to cringe. "You're kidding right?" she said. "I'm not a magician. I don't make tea out of nothing."

"Use your eyes," Naru said, tapping a few keys on the keyboard.

Mai scowled. "Jerk," she hissed. She then looked around the room and found something that looked like a lunch bag on one of the tables. Beside it was a thermos.

So Naru brought a "tea-making" kit?

Mai bit her lip from snickering. She walked to the table and unzipped the bag. Inside it was two cups and two saucers – one for him and one for her?

She blushed and shook her head to deny its presence.

Beside the cups was a box of tea – Earl Grey tea.

Mai rolled her eyes. "Tea addict," she muttered, opening the box and taking one of the cups out. She opened the thermos and poured some hot water on the cup. She then dipped a tea bag of Earl Grey tea and watched the colour of the water change.

"What time did you go home?" she asked, half expecting him to answer, half expecting him to just snort or glare at her.

"Eight," Naru answered, to her surprise.

Mai swallowed, cheeks flushed. In one of the bag's pockets, she found two spoons and a couple of sachets containing milk and sugar.

Naru didn't drink tea with milk and sugar though. He didn't even like having honey or lemon in his tea. So why keep some in the bag?

She handed Naru the steamy cup of tea sitting on one of the saucers from the bag.

Naru recieved it – his eyes focused on the screen.

Mai watched him, waiting for a polite reply.

Naru sipped his tea.

Mai scowled. He hadn't changed. "You're welcome," she said.

Naru looked at her for a moment, then looked back at the screen.

Mai sighed. "So...anything interesting happened last night?" she asked.

"See for yourself," he said turning away from the screen and shifting his attention to the pile of folders on a nearby table.

Mai folded her arms, pouting. "Can you stop being a jerk?"

Naru looked at her.

"You hired an idiot as your assistant," she spat, glaring at him. "A little patience with the idiot would be nice. I bet she's willing to learn more about this than you think she is."

Naru just kept a blank expression on his face. "Did you look at the screen?"

Mai froze. She stiffly turned to look at the monitor and gasped, skipping backward and trembling.

On the screen was an image of one of the decaying rooms in the building – a classroom with patches that seem like molds all over the desks, walls and floors. On the doorway was a shadow – a silhouette of someone peeping into the room. It stood out from the green and black picture of the screen.

"S-someone…was here…last night..?" Mai asked, still staring at the image. Her first thought was that it was a ghost. But it could just be some stray curious kid who decided to check if the ghost stories about the building were true.

Her gut told her otherwise though, and it sent shivers up her spine. She turned to look at Naru who was already busy looking at some files.

"There isn't really a ghost here…right?" Mai shakily asked.

Naru dropped the file on the table. "Start changing the cameras in the first floor," he said, obviously ignoring Mai's question. He walked to the door, picking up a camera on his way.

"H-Hey!" Mai said. "Don't leave me here!" She looked around her, and wondered if the ghost was in the room with her.

"Mai," she heard Naru say.

She looked at the doorway and saw him glaring at her.

"Get to work."

"Y-yes, boss," she said shakily giving him a salute.

Naru disappeared in the hallway – rolling his blue eyes at Mai's reaction.

Mai sighed and went to grab one of the cameras on the floor.


	42. Chapter 42

_Thank you all so much again for the reading and reviewing "Where is home?" and for your patience in waiting for the next chapter. _

_Thanks _**Chrysanthia-Sunshine**! ^ v ^

_And thank you, _**Successor2L, Meepyoneee, **_and _**Danielle**! _Those are very inspiring! _* v *

_That's great news on the cover for "Are you happy?" _**Aoi Kitsukawa**! _Thanks for the update! _^ v ^

"can you make a story for mai and naru with mystery"_ - I can't really promise anything right now, sorry...um…_**Guest**. _But I'll give you all a heads up if I decide to make one. _* v *

"I would rather have a story where they get married, then a story where they are not together anymore. :( Its not much fun to read anymore" – _I can't really blame you for that, _**SilverMoonPixie**_ . I understand where you're coming from. I can't promise I can make adjustments to keep your interest though. But I thank you so much for at least reading up to this part (or up to the previous chapter) of "Where is home?" _^ v ^

"are naru and mai going to get back together?" - ^ v ^ _Answering that would be revealing a plot_, **WhisperToTheWolves**.

_Anyway, here is this week's chapter. Again, if you don't see next week's chapter next week, you should be able to see a longer succeeding chapter after next week. _

_Oh and do tell me what you think about it _^ v *

* * *

><p>Mai wrote down the temperature of the room she was in.<p>

After changing the cameras, Naru told her to check the temperature of each room. She was too scared of walking around the building to bother about why they needed to know the temperature in each room when it most likely would be the same in any corner of the structure.

She took a deep breath and sighed. One room to go and she would be back to base, fixing Naru another cup of tea. At that moment, she preferred making tea for him than visiting each room to check how cold or hot they were.

Mai walked down the hallway, slightly fidgeting at the thought of ghosts probably following her.

She could still remember the silhouette on the infrared video – the man that peeped into the doorway, eyeing the camera…or probably eyeing the camera. If she remembered the tag on the video correctly, it was taken by one of the cameras situated on the top…floor.

Mai swallowed. She was on the top floor, and the window at the end of the hall told her there was no other stair leading upward in the area.

She shook her head and glared at the molds on the door frame that lead to the next room. It was at the end of the hall in the top floor and it looked darker than the other rooms, probably because of the tree shading its windows outside.

"Just take the temperature," she mumbled to herself before she took a step forward.

It was just like the other rooms – an old classroom with a moldy black board across the doorway. A few grimy amptutated wooden chairs were scattered on the dusty floor.

Mai had to cough off the whiff of old air swarming her senses.

She placed the thermometer on the dust-covered furniture near what once was a teacher's table.

The room felt colder than the rest for some reason, again perhaps due to the shade. But another thought rushed to her consciousness and she cringed.

Naru told her temperature played an important role in determining ghost activity.

"When a ghost appears, the temperature in the surrounding area drops," his voice echoed in her mind.

Mai swallowed and rubbed her shivering arms. She could feel the hair on the back of her neck stand. She shook her head, trying to be brave again. It was around ten in the morning. Ghosts only came at night! Or do they..?

After looking up at the morbid images of mold on the ceiling, Mai read the temperature on the thermometer and wrote it down on the notebook that Naru gave her.

She smiled, placing the thermometer back into her pocket.

Time to head back to base!

She turned around and noticed something pass the hallway.

Mai stiffened. She swallowed loudly and slowly stepped out to the hallway. Surely it wasn't a ghost. It was around ten in the morning!

But what if it **was **the ghost? What if it was pissed off at what Mai was doing in the rooms – walking into each one and staring at the molds… What if he was somewhere in those mold-made images that she stared at and silently made fun of?!

Mai bit her lip and looked at the end of the hall where the figure seemed to vanish.

On the place where the window should be was a figure – a girl wearing a red kimono, whose back was turned to Mai.

Chills crept up Mai's spine.

The girl reminded her of a cute wooden ningyo – a Japanese traditional doll with short black hair wearing a flower-embroidered kimono. Only she was…life-size.

Mai gasped loudly. She froze, realizing the mistake she did.

The girl's head turned slightly, revealing the white skin of her plump cheek.

Mai shut her eyes and quickly ran down the hall, jumped down the stairs two-steps at a time, and didn't stop running until she reached the base.

"NARU!" she cried, her eyes moist with tears. Her knees were shaking and her heart was beating frantically against her chest.

There was no one in the base – just the humming investigation equipment.

Mai stiffened. Panic started to seep through her skin.

What happened to Naru? He wasn't supposed to be changing any camera or equipment in the building. He didn't tell her he was going out for a walk.

**WHERE WAS HE?!**

She quickly turned to the lobby. She froze when she heard footsteps echoing from the stairs. Mai covered her mouth from screaming and forced her legs to move…to run outside and look for Naru, since she didn't have enough courage to run up the stairs and look for him there…

Mai turned to the wide open front door, hoping Naru was safe outside. She ran to the light – her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

She shut her eyes, hearing the footsteps echoing louder from the creaking stairs behind her, and let her legs get her out of the building.

Then she hit something hard and bounced back – a hand grasping her arm and pulling her back to the sturdy wall before she hit the ground.

"Ouch!" she cried, her face hitting the wall again. This time her legs steadied themselves and allowed her to stand inches away from the wall.

The hand was still holding her arm – a warm steady hand that seemed to doubt she could stand on her own yet.

She opened her eyes and saw the wall – a black…cloth…that oddly smelled like-

"Mai?" she heard a familiar voice say from behind the wall.

She took a peak and saw Ayako and Takigawa almost gawking at her.

"Ayako! Bou-san!" she called in relief. It was then that she realized that her face was next to an arm. She stiffly looked up at the wall…or what she thought was a wall.

Naru's blue eyes were glaring at her – an arched brow raised at her, no doubt wondering why on earth she was there, so close behind him.

Blood quickly filled her cheeks. She wanted to melt – disappear.

"This is the sideline job you told us about?" Ayako asked, hands on her waist. "Being with Naru?!"

"You two are back together again and you didn't tell ME?!" Takigawa asked looking shocked at her.

"N-no!" Mai said, forcing herself to stand next to Naru. "That's not it! It was an accident! I was planning to tell you but I…"

"But you..?" Naru asked.

Mai stiffened and winced, feeling his glare. "I…forgot..?"

"MAI-CHAN!" Ayako cried, the same time Takigawa said "JOU-CHAN!"

"I know, I know," Mai said wincing. "I'm sorry. I was really planning to tell you…Just… Not this morning….Tonight actually… When you've finished your work..." She then stared at the two. "Which reminds me…Why are you two here? I thought you had a client you had to meet."

"We did," Ayako answered. "And we met him in the administration building over there," she said pointing to one of the university buildings.

"EH? Wait! Don't tell me you two were hired to exorcise this building," Mai said.

"You bet we were," Takigawa said, nodding and smirking at her. "Apparently, they thought letting a kid investigate on this case was a mistake."

Mai frowned, realizing that the head master of the school was undermining Naru. "Hey! Naru's not a kid! He's a professional, and he's doing his job well!"

Ayako sighed. "I'm sorry, Mai-chan," she said. "But the head master is not convinced. And I understand him. I honestly don't see how a bunch of cameras can get rid of a land-dwelling chirei."

"No way," Takigawa interjected. "It's a jibakurei. It must be threatened at the demolition plans for the building – it doesn't want to lose its home."

"Chirei..? Jibakurei..?" Mai asked. "There's a difference?"

"Of course!" Takigawa answered. "Chirei is a spirit of the land. Jibakurei is a human spirit trapped in a particular location."

"Oh, so if someone, let's say, died in a house and that house had been haunted with a ghost," Mai said. "That ghost could be a Jibakurei – the spirit of that someone who died in the house."

"It's possible, but not probable," Ayako said. "It could be chirei, threatened by something that was about to happen in the house."

"So the ghost haunting this building," Mai prompted.

"Is a chirei," Ayako said.

"A jibakurei," Takigawa corrected.

"Why on earth would that be a jibakurei?" Ayako asked. "Just because it's an old building doesn't mean someone died in there."

"And just because it's been in that spot for centuries doesn't mean a chirei decided to settle down in that building," Takigawa replied.

"There's definitely something here," someone from behind Mai said.

Mai gasped and unconsciously scooted closer to Naru.

Naru, Takigawa and Ayako looked at the girl standing on the doorway – her red kimono standing out from the dimness of the inside of the building.

Mai was trembling. She had her arms on her chest, trying to stay calm in the face of the apparition.

"Eh? Hara Masako?" Ayako asked.

"Masa-who..?" Mai asked, surprised that Ayako knew the ghost.

"The famous psychic on TV," Takigawa answered. "So they hired you too."

Mai stared at the girl, who seemed to stand only up to her nose.

She had watched several horror shows on TV before, but she hadn't seen a show with Masako on it. It was probably that reality show Yumi was telling her about when they went shopping.

She should really check the show out.

"My apologies," Masako said, looking at Naru. "I know I should have met you first and asked your permission to look around, but I felt like I had to walk inside immediately."

"It's nothing, Hara-san," Naru said.

Mai stared shocked at Naru.

Naru knew her personally?!

"You said there's definitely something here?" Naru asked.

"Yes," Masako said. "But I'm not sure if it's a chirei or a jibakurei."

"Not sure?" Ayako said, smirking. "Why, the famous medium seems to be losing her touch."

Masako looked at her. "I'm sorry, but do I know you?"

Ayako proudly folded her arms over her chest. "Matsuzaki Ayako," she said. "I'm a miko."

"Miko?" Masako asked. "I didn't know they've changed the rules for proclaiming mikos."

Mai looked confused at Masako. "Changed the rules?"

"You had to be pure and innocent young lady to be a miko," Naru explained.

"And I don't look like that to you?" Ayako growled, glaring at Naru.

Mai tried her best not to laugh.

"Well for one," Naru said looking at her. "You look too old to be innocent."

Takigawa snickered, and looked away to hide his laughter. Mai was covering her lips from laughing out loud.

Ayako was glaring daggers at Naru.

"You're not here as Matsuzaki-san's assistant, are you?" Naru asked Takigawa.

"Indeed," Takigawa said proudly. "I'm here as a monk."

"An outlaw," Ayako muttered.

"Oh yeah," Mai said. "You escaped Mt. Kouya."

Takigawa shrugged his shoulders. "It doesn't mean I haven't learned the ways of the monk."

"I didn't know you employed such people, Shibuya-san," Masako said.

"We were employed by the head master," Ayako answered, looking sternly at Masako.

"Oh," Masako said stepping closer to Naru. "Shall we discuss my findings inside?" she said, wrapping an arm around Naru's right arm.

Mai's jaw dropped.

**DID HARA MASAKO JUST FLIRT WITH NARU?!**

Takigawa coughed, Ayako cleared her throat. "I guess we could check what your toys have told you, Shibuya-san," she said pulling Naru's free arm – the one beside Mai, and almost dragging him to the building.

Masako trailed frowning behind them.

Takigawa and Mai stayed outside, watching the three.

"Looks like you've got competition, Mai-chan," Takigawa said, folding his arms over his chest.

"Competition..?" Mai asked, shocked at Takigawa. She could feel her cheeks burning. "Naru's married!"

"Eh?" Takigawa said staring surprised at Mai. "…Since when?"

"W-What..?"

"I haven't heard or read about Dr. Davis getting hitched in any English tabloid or newspaper," he said, walking to the door. "If he's married, I should know." He turned to look at Mai. "I'm his fan, after all," he said, winking at Mai.

He disappeared into the building.

Naru wasn't married. He didn't marry Charlotte. He went back to England and didn't marry **anyone**.

"W-Wait!" Mai said running to the door. "Bou-san! I-Is he still single?"

"Excuse me!" Mai heard someone say from behind her. She turned to see who it was and froze at the sight of a blonde young man with blue eyes.

"Hello," he greeted. "I'm John Brown. I was hired by the head master to perform an exorcism in this building. He told me I'll be meeting some investigators here. Would you be one of them?"

"Uh…Y-yes," Mai said, amazed at how fluent he was in Japanese. "Come inside!"

John smiled. "Thank you."

* * *

><p>"You're really a priest?" Ayako asked John as she stood by Takigawa.<p>

They all decided to dicuss Masako's findings in the base. Having only two chairs in the room, Ayako and Takigawa opted to stand by the door. John and Mai stood beside one of the tables, while beside Mai stood Masako – her eyes focused on Naru who was looking at the group with his arms crossed over his chest.

John smiled shyly at Ayako. "Yes, I am."

"Girls would have fallen for that innocent look of yours," Takigawa said. "And you chose to stay single for life?"

Mai frowned at Takigawa. "That's very rude of you, Bou-san," she said.

"I was being honest," Takigawa said.

John only chuckled at the comment. "It's okay," he said. "I just wanted to serve God this way."

"A calling," Takigawa said nodding.

Ayako smirked at him. "Something you didn't get in Mt. Kouya, apparently."

Takigawa smirked back at her. "At least no one's questioned my monk-hood the your miko-hood's been questioned."

Ayako glared at him.

"So what did you sense in the building?" Naru asked Masako.

Mai looked up at Naru. She felt blood fill her cheeks.

Haruka-san was right. Naru wasn't married. Suddenly, Takumi-kun's advise seemed right and promising. If she confessed her love for him again, explained everything to him, there was a chance they could be together!

"I sense a spirit here," Masako said. "…Somewhere on the top floor. But I can't grasp its form."

"So you can't tell if it's human or not," Naru said.

"Unfortunately, I can't," Masako said. "But…"

Masako placed her hand on her forehead, obviously feining a faint. She leaned on Naru's chest.

Mai's jaw dropped to the ground.

Naru just let Masako lean on him.

**DIDN'T HE SEE IT WAS FAKE? **

"Oh…I'm sorry," Masako said. "It's dizzying…"

"I didn't know the great psychic was a flirt," Ayako muttered.

Apparently, Mai wasn't the only one who noticed what happened. Takigawa and Ayako were staring at the scene. John was also looking at the two.

Mai suddenly felt like pulling Masako away from Naru – telling her to back off and leave him alone.

Naru remained indifferent though. But he also didn't move away from Masako.

Mai suddenly wondered what the two of them were. Masako obviously knew Naru before this morning. Was she the reason why Naru was here in Japan? Was she the reason why he wasn't married?

Was she the reason why he stayed indifferent with Mai?

Naru's blue eyes wandered to the humming computer beside him. When Masako stood on her feet again, he walked to the computer and tapped several keys on the keyboard.

"What about you?" Takigawa asked walking to Naru. "What did you get from this place so far?"

"Oh!" Mai said walking to Naru. "We caught someone on camera last night!"

"Someone..?" Takigawa asked Mai.

Ayako and John moved closer to the group, curious about what Mai said.

"Yeah, in the infrared cameras," Mai continued. "Someone peeped on the door!"

Takigawa turned to Naru. "Well," he said. "Shall we check it out?"

Naru was still tapping a few keys on the keyboard, several windows opening on the computer screen. "In what area of the top floor did you feel this entity, Hara-san?"

"In the room at the end of the hall to the right," Masako answered. "The last one this girl went to," she said, pointing at Mai.

Mai scowled and glared at her. "I have a name," she said. "It's Taniyama Mai. And I'm working as Naru's assistant!"

"Naru?" Masako asked, raising her brows at Mai. "You call Shibuya-san 'Naru'?"

Mai looked away, cheeks flushed scarlet. "It's because he's a narcissist," she muttered.

Masako frowned, but Mai was too busy feeling embarrassed at her confession on the matter to notice it.

"Mai," Naru called.

"Y-yes?"

"What's the temperature in that room?" he asked, eyes fixed on the screen.

Mai quickly fished out the notebook from her pocket and flipped its pages. She was about to read out the answer to his question when the aligned numbers on the page struck her.

The last room she checked seemed eight degrees colder.

The notebook was pulled from her grasp. She found Naru staring at it, rubbing his fingers on his chin in thought. "Interesting," he muttered.

Naru typed something on the keyboard, openening a video clip – the same clip that captured the silhouette.

Masako gasped. "That's the-"

"The room on the right end of the top floor's hallway," Naru said. Naru tapped some keys, and adjusted the video player's ticker. The video played slowly, zoomed it to focus on the image of the doorway.

Mai cringed, expecting the silhouette to appear. And sure enough, it came…but not the way Mai expected it to appear.

She thought the silhouette acted like a man walking into the view of the door. But it turned out, it wasn't how it happened.

In slow motion, Takigawa, Ayako, John, Masako and Mai watched a shadow from within the room stretch…creep up from the ground to the wall…and form a human-like silhouette, standing on the doorway.

Then the footage blacked out for a second. When the picture came back, the silhouette wasn't there anymore.

"Can you go back to that blacked out part?" Takigawa said, suddenly cold and serious. He knew Naru had noticed it even before he showed them the footage.

"Even better," Naru said tapping a few keys. The blacked out part of the video flashed on the screen, frozen like the picture Mai saw that morning.

"What's so interesting in this camera malfunction?" Ayako asked.

A finger reached out into the screen, pointing at the green spaces on the screen. The blacked out part wasn't entirely black.

John then spread his fingers and faced his palm toward him. He aligned it with the black parts on the screen.

Mai froze, chills running up her spine.

"What the-" Ayako gasped.

"It's a hand," Takigawa said grimly. "…Which makes it a jibakurei."

"No," Masako said. "I would have known if it was a jibakurei."

"Wh-What is it then?" Mai asked.

She suddenly felt like being watched. She turned around and looked at the doorway.

"A chirei," Ayako said.

"Again," Masako said. "I would have known if it was a chirei. But it wasn't one, I assure you."

Mai noticed a shadow just beyond the doorway. Perhaps it was a shadow of something on the hall outside, or of one of the equipments in the room.

And when Mai was about to look away, the shadow moved out to the hall – taking with it a block of shadow that had been covering a side of the doorframe as if it was the shadow of a full-grown man who walked away from the door.


	43. Chapter 43

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing "Where is home?"_

_So much hate on Masako again. And so many reviews clamoring for Mai to get in trouble! _

_Since I still have some time now, here is this week's chapter. _

* * *

><p>"What's your guess on the image so far?" Takigawa asked, eyeing Naru.<p>

Mai stood beside Takigawa and Ayako. She kept rubbing her arms, feeling the hair on her skin stand with what she saw minutes earlier. She didn't tell anyone about it though.

It was possible that she was just hallucinating – imagining things that weren't there. She read in one of their textbooks in psychology that situations affect how people perceive things. Perhaps the talk on the ghostly shadow caught on one of last night's footage made her think she saw a man-shaped shadow lurking in the doorway.

If the ghost was really there, Masako should have sensed it. But she remained focused on the footage, looking wary and uncertain.

"I mean, you've heard our theories," Takigawa continued. "What's yours?"

Naru glanced at John. "Father..?"

John looked warily at the footage. "I'm hoping it's a form of optical illusion," he said.

"Hoping?" Ayako asked, looking at John. "What do you mean by that?"

Naru nodded and turned to the hand-shaped figure frozen on the monitor screen. "What did the head master tell you about this case?"

"He said they've been planning to demolish the building," Ayako answered. "But they've been hindered by accidents. At first it was petty – tools and lunch disappearing, written warnings on the bulldozer windshields…"

Mai stared surprised at Ayako. She had heard stories about the building from her classmates, sure. Most of them were about students committing suicide in the building, surveyors whose legs were pulled down the stairs until they fell and broke their leg, ghost sightings…but none of them had any concrete evidence – no specific facts that could tell you wasn't just one of those tell-tale urban legends.

…But things disappearing..? Warning signs..?

"It was obvious they could have been done by tricksters in the campus," Takigawa said. "…Until around six months ago, when they tried to just bulldoze the building."

Mai looked at Takigawa. "W-What happened?"

Takigawa crossed his arms over his chest. "The engine of the bulldozer stopped working the minute it reached the front door," he said, nodding at the direction of the building door outside. "They were sure it was in good condition when they went here. But to be sure, they got another bulldozer in the place to continue the job. The same thing happened to the second bulldozer – its engine stopped working. And the engine of every vehicle in the site stopped working too, even the generators. So they decided to just bomb the place – install explosives in the building and blow it off."

"When the workers went inside, the whole building was filled with stale air," John said. "They described it as something that smelled like rotten eggs."

Mai froze.

…Rotten. She smelled something rotten in the building that first time she went there. But it just seemed so intwined with the scent of mold that she hadn't quite paid attention to it anymore.

"When they were preparing the explosives, one of them went mad," John continued. "He attacked his co-workers – almost killed one of them with his bare hands. When they got him out of the building, he lost consciousness. He woke up three weeks later with no memory of what he did. The last thing he remembered from that day was seeing a shadow."

"You met him," Naru said, looking at John.

John looked up at him and nodded.

"That's not all he told you though," Naru prompted.

"No," John answered grimly, looking several years older than when he arrived in the building.

Takigawa, Ayako, Masako and Mai looked curiously at John.

"He said he had a dream," John said. "A dream where he was hurting his fellow co-workers…Where he watched his body do horrible things. No one has told him about what he did. The doctors said he's still too mentally unstable to understand what happened."

Naru nodded.

"Possession," Takigawa gasped. "But he got a glimpse of what happened?" He turned to Masako. "Do you know anymore things about the case?"

"I was told several sightings of a shadow figure had occurred here," Masako answered. "Security guards roaming the area had noticed a shadow lurking in the windows. One of them walked into the building one night thinking it was a student playing pranks. He said he just saw a shadow staring back at him on the stairs."

Naru nodded, not surprised at what Masako shared.

Mai noticed his calm stance. "What do you know, Naru?"

Naru looked up at her. Everyone was looking back at him. "All the things they just said," he answered.

"And more..?" Takigawa asked.

"Of course," Naru said. "For one, this building had been abandoned because of structural issues. It was supposed to be renovated, but the previous head master figured making a sturdier building would cost less than demolishing the building and creating another structure in its wake. It had been left abandoned for years, forgotten by the previous head master. The current head master decided to keep the structure here because of its sentimental value. He was one of the teachers who last taught in one of the classrooms here."

Mai nodded, remembering the stories she heard about the current head master. According to her classmates, the head master taught biology in the science laboratory, which in his time, was in one of the building's first floor rooms.

"But he realized there was no point in keeping the rotting building," Naru continued. "So he made plans to demolish it. The minor accidents you mentioned, Matsuzaki-san, were just accidents."

Ayako raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"The tools ending up missing were tools of one of the oldest workers in the demolition crew," Naru explained. "He admitted to misplacing them, even when he worked for other demolition projects. The surveyor breaking his leg on the stairs was also an accident. They decided to survey the building on a rainy day, with slippery boots on. The surveyor himself said he lost his balance and slipped."

Ayako frowned. "And the ghost sightings..? Pure accident..?"

"That would depend on what kinds of ghost sighting you are talking about," Naru answered. "The so-called ghost sightings didn't exactly happen until six months ago. Before that, the building was just a building – no ghost stories set anywhere in the structure, no images lurking in the windows, no sign of the structure as a threat to anyone."

"B-But," Mai interjected. "…The story about a student committing suicide here! They said someone hung himself somewhere here in the building...Kaito…Yusuke…I think."

"An urban legend that started around the time the building was left alone," Naru answered, sparing her a glance. "…Students pretending to know everything made theories of why it was abandoned, and ended up making stories about how someone died in the building. There weren't any proof of the building being haunted until the guards' stories of seeing shadows lurking in the windows spread throughout the campus. Students began to theorize again. And the most interesting theory gained utmost attention – that one about **Keito** **Kiyosuke**."

Mai's cheeks flushed at Naru's correction. And she had to admit his logical made sense. Well…he **is** Naru…

"And for the record," Naru said, looking straight into her eyes. "We found no evidence of a Keito Kiyosuke who studied in this university, not even in the neighboring universities. There was, however, a student here named Keio Kisuke. He stopped school and moved to Hokkaido four years ago."

Mai frowned. So it was all just a hoax!

"And there weren't any suicides that happened here," Naru added.

"Hmm," Takigawa muttered, tapping his chin in thought. "So you're saying these activities didn't happen until six months ago…and that nothing in the building's past, even if it was bloody, could have caused-"

"This building does not have a bloody past," Naru said. "It was built on a ground filled with trees, just as the other buildings in the area were. And it was built fifty years after the war."

Takigawa frowned. "So whatever's here wasn't here until six months ago?" he asked.

"The spirit was probably threatened by the sudden demolition plans," Ayako said. "It's made this building its home."

"No," Masako said, shaking her head. She was frowning. "This…presence...doesn't feel like it belongs here."

"Why else would it start doing these things then?!" Ayako said, glaring at Naru.

Naru looked at John. "Is it possible, Father?"

Mai, Takigawa, Ayako and Masako turned to look at John.

John looked warily at Naru. "Yes," he said. "But as I said, I'm hoping it isn't what I think it is."

"What is it?" Takigawa asked, glaring at John and Naru. "If it can't be a jibakurei, and it can't be a chirei, tell us what it is!"

Naru looked at Takigawa.

* * *

><p>"Shadow people," Mai said, walking beside Sho in the hallway.<p>

It was another school day and Sho met Mai for a class they both attended that morning. Sho had asked her about what happened after she and Naru left the office. And Mai told him how she wound up working as Naru's assistant, including how her second day on the job had been.

After discussing about what was causing the paranormal activity in the building, the rest of the day went peacefully. John, Takigawa, and Ayako decided to examine the building. Masako walked with John. Mai was thankfully left with Naru.

Though she wanted to confront Naru about his possible singlehood, the guilt she had from leaving him kept her silent. They basically checked the recordings, fixed the equipment, read some notes about the case, and she of course prepared his hourly cup of tea.

"Shadow people..?" Sho asked.

Mai nodded. "The head master decided to call for help when he himself saw a shadow of a man from one of the building's windows one afternoon," she said. "He described it to be a tall man with piercing red eyes."

"Wow," Sho said smirking. "That's a cool twist to the old building's ghost story."

Mai nodded, trying to give him a smile.

But remembering the things that Naru told them about the shadow just couldn't let her see the fact as a joke.

"'Shadow people' is the term used to describe human-shaped silhouettes that are usually seen through the peripheral vision," she remembered Naru begin that morning as he stood facing them in the base. "They are usually noticed flickering on walls and ceilings. And by flickering, I mean this second you see them, the next one you don't. That characteristic makes shadow people appear more of an illusion than an apparition of a paranormal being. And in most cases, it's a figment of imagination."

"Whoah, wait," Takigawa said, raising his brows at Naru. "You're saying those people didn't really see a shadow? That your camera didn't capture a moving silhouette?"

"I wasn't finished," Naru answered. "When the head master consulted us about this matter, there were three things that made it appear more than an illusion – one, more than one man testified seeing the phantasm; two, all of them saw it in one place; and three, it started several months ago without any possible cause for such activity."

"That's why you took this case," Masako said.

"Hearing what you know," Naru continued. "I understand that you do not know one particularly important detail in this case."

Ayako raised a brow at him. "And you know that one particularly important detail?"

"As a matter of fact I do," Naru answered, looking confidently at Ayako. "In all your descriptions of the shadow people they've supposedly encountered, you missed out one feature – its eyes."

"Eyes..?" Ayako asked, confused. "How would a shadow have eyes?"

"Exactly," Naru said. "And a pair of red ones to be exact," he continued, glancing at John. The priest suddenly looked surprised and anxious.

"Does that prove it's a hallucination?" Takigawa asked.

"On the contrary," Naru said. "Shadow people have been known as malevolent beings before the scientific world proved most of them to be optical illusions. They were described to have red eyes and are either recognized as ghosts or demons."

Takigawa frowned and looked at John. "You think it's a demon," he said. "Don't you, John-san?"

"D-demon..?" Mai asked, chills seeping through her veins.

Images of Master Norringbent's twisted face filled her mind…memories of being dragged up the stairs, hurled on walls, attacked by floating furniture, and stabbed by debris made her limbs tremble.

The thought that the shadow she saw earlier was another demon…

"That is yet to be confirmed," Naru said. "Further investigation is needed to prove that point."

"But it's a possibility," Takigawa said grimly.

"Shadow people could also be ghosts," Naru countered.

"But if there aren't enough tragic events here to trap a lost soul, how would it be a ghost?" Ayako asked.

"Demons themselves don't just appear anywhere," Naru said, looking at Ayako. "They are either already in a place to begin with, or were summoned. And it doesn't trap itself."

"Trap its self?" Mai asked.

"Consider the facts that we have," Naru said, looking at Mai. "Where did all the paranormal activities happen? Where did the witnesses encounter the shadow?"

"It's always within the building," John answered. "…Or at least within the vicinity of the building..."

"Yes," Masako said. "I felt its presence but only when I was several steps away from the front door."

"So it's trapped here," Takigawa said, nodding. "And it could still be a jibakurei."

"Or a chirei," Ayako said.

Masako sighed and rolled her eyes.

Mai noticed how Naru just looked at everyone – his eyes not giving them a hint that Takigawa and Ayako's deductions were right.

"How was it trapped here?" Mai found herself asking him.

Naru smirked. "You're learning."

* * *

><p>Mai shook her head, feeling the blood filling her cheeks with warmth.<p>

"Mai..?" Sho asked, worried at how Mai suddenly stopped telling what happened to her last weekend.

"I-It's nothing," Mai said smiling up at Sho. "Where was I again?"

"You asked Naru a question," Sho answered.

"Oh right," Mai said nodding.

"Did he answer it?"

Mai sighed. "Nope," she said, realizing Naru didn't answer her question that day. He instead told them about what he planned to do in the weekday.

"That's rude," Sho said frowning.

Mai smiled at him. "You got it," she said. "He's a jerk!"

Sho smiled. "But…you like him..?"

Mai stiffened – her cheeks in flames. "Ah-I…I-d- What did you say..?"

Sho shook his head, smirking. "Nothing," he said. "So you're going to walk home now?"

"Oh, yeah! That reminds me," Mai said, turning to face him. "I need to go to Room 203. We're supposed to conduct interviews with students today."

"Oh," Sho said, trying not to sound as sad as he felt. "I see…So…you'll be here in school until what time?"

Mai shrugged her shoulders. "It depends on the clock of my almighty boss," she said chuckling. "Hey! You can come with me to 203! You know some of the stories about the old building, right?"

Sho shrugged. "A little, yeah," he said smirking. His heart was jumping though. That meant Mai wanted him around longer, right?

"Great! Come on," Mai said, walking quickly down the hallway. "Naru's not a patient man."

* * *

><p>"Thank you," Mai heard Naru say from beyond the door.<p>

So the interview had started. After a moment or so, a girl walked out the door, blushing. She pranced to a group of girls in the far corner of the hallway and started squealing – muttering about how "hot" and "handsome" the men, who interviewed her, were.

Mai frowned and glared at the group.

Sure, Naru was hot and handsome. BUT COULDN'T THEY AT LEAST GIVE THEMSELVES SOME DIGNITY?!

Sho noticed Mai's fuming expression. He was surprised Mai was angered at the sight of a group of noisy older students. Did they bully her in any way?

"Mai-chan..?"

"Oh! Sho-kun!" Mai said, realizing she wasn't alone. "Come on in!" she said opening the door.

"-can't see what could have happened," Mai heard Takigawa's voice as she opened the door.

"Bou-san..?" Mai asked, seeing Takigawa seated next to Naru on a table. They both had notebooks and pens in front of them. Takigawa was frowning at the ceiling while Naru was staring at his notes.

"JOU-CHAN!" Takigawa greeted, smiling at her. "What took you so long?"

"Uh… Classes," Mai said shyly. "Naru," she said, greeting Naru.

"Tea."

Mai stiffened – the smile on her face morphing into a frown. "You could have acknowledged me first at least."

Naru looked up at her. "Mai," he said. "Tea."

Mai sighed and rolled her eyes. "Would you also like some tea, Bou-san?"

"Sure," Takigawa said, chuckling at the scene. He then noticed the man standing behind Mai. "Hey! You must be Sho-kun."

Sho shyly smiled at Takigawa and bowed to him in greeting. "Yes," he said. "I'm a friend of Mai-chan's."

"Oh yeah," Mai said. "This is Sho. You met him already, Naru. He's here because he knows some stories about the old building."

Naru just looked at him.

Takigawa smirked, his eyes sharply eyeing Sho. "Does he now?" he said. "Come have a seat then. Let's start talking. Fix him some tea too, Mai-chan."

"I'm on it!" Mai said cheerfully before she walked to the side of the room.

"I left the thermos in the van," Naru said.

Mai froze. "Oh…"

Takigawa glanced at a corner of the room, where a thermos sat quietly on a shelf looking contently out at the window.

"Where's the van?" Mai asked, obviously not seeing the thermos in the corner of the room.

"Parking lot," Takigawa answered. "You won't miss it."

"Okay," Mai said, before turning to Sho. "I'll just get the water for the tea." She then walked out the room.

Sho felt the tension in the room the moment Mai shut the door behind her. Somehow he felt like he shouldn't be in the room without her.

Takigawa cleared his throat. "So…do you know who this man beside me is?"

Sho looked shyly at Takigawa, then at Naru. Thankfully, Naru had his blue eyes fixed on the open notebook in front of him.

"Y-Yes," he said.

"Who he is in Mai-chan's life..?" Takigawa asked, looking grimly at him.

Sho swallowed.


	44. Chapter 44

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing "Where is home?"_

_HAPPY HOLIDAYS!  
><em>

_I've been reading some of the reviews and-Ooh! Sho has a fan!  
><em>

_Here's this week's chapter. I was planning to upload this next week but I figured I still have some time so, here it is.  
><em>

_Do tell me what you think about it!_

* * *

><p>Mai walked into the room frowning.<p>

Naru was still in the table, jotting down notes. Sho sat in front of him, nodding. Takigawa was sitting on a small book shelf – a thermos in hand.

"There it is!" Mai gasped, pointing at the thermos in Takigawa's hand.

"Yeah, sorry," Takigawa said smiling and scratching his head. "I thought it was back in the van!"

Mai snorted and walked to him, grabbing the thermos from his hand. She proceeded to a corner of the room where the tea cups and tea bags sat on a table.

"These students, Maeda Yuuta, Kondo Akira, Nodaru Tomiko and Kouki Ichi," Mai heard Naru say. "They've graduated..?"

"No," Sho answered. He sounded…bothered.

Mai looked up to see him. She was worried about how the interview had affected him.

Sho seemed focused on remembering something…probably about what Naru was asking him.

"They more like…moved to another place," Sho said, looking up at him.

"All of them?" Naru asked.

Sho nodded. "They were friends from kindergarten, I think," he answered. "They were always together.

"Do you know of any member of this… parapsychology club?"

"Parapsychology club..?" Mai asked.

"Yeah," Sho said smiling at him. "I told him about the parapsychology club."

"You know about this club?" Naru asked her.

"Yeah, I've seen them having a meeting in one of the rooms," Mai answered.

Naru frowned. "And you didn't tell me about this."

Mai swallowed – the glare of his icy blue eyes making her cringe. "Ah…I-"

Naru turned to Sho. "So you know some of its members?"

"I do," Sho answered. "But I'm not sure if I can convince them to talk to you. They're pretty…weird…for psychology students."

"How weird..?" Takigawa asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well," Sho said looking at Takigawa. "They keep to themselves a lot. I thought that perhaps it was because they were smart. They're great academic achievers, you see."

Takigawa and Mai snickered. Apparently, Naru wasn't the only snobbish braniac in the world.

Naru ignored them.

"…By keeping to themselves, you mean..?" Naru urged.

"They don't talk to others that much," Sho answered, looking at Naru. "They don't even bother with voluntary class recitations. They top any written exam and ace any project."

"Wow," Takigawa said. "Geeky!"

Mai snickered. "Careful, Bou-san," she said. "They're not the only geeks in the world."

Naru looked down at his notebook, scribbling down more notes. "Where is my tea?"

Mai stiffened and quickly went back to preparing his tea.

Takigawa burst into laughter.

"So they stay away from people?" Naru asked Sho.

"Yes," Sho answered. "They sometimes even stare at people around them like…everyone else around them are…inferior."

"Do they also have that icy glare in their eyes?" Takigawa asked.

"Takigawa-san," Naru muttered. "Surely your middle-aged brain can come up with a more relevant question."

Takigawa frowned and glared at Naru.

Sho's jaw dropped. He was sure Naru was younger than Takigawa. But he had the guts to wave Takigawa off like that!

"So they just don't talk to you," Takigawa said.

"That's right," Sho said. "They just talk to members of their club. I had friends who joined the club before. They were members of the club when Maeda-san was still its president."

"When did they leave?" Naru asked, looking at Sho.

"Around five months ago," Sho said. "They said it's…all…gotten out of hand. I'm not sure what they meant by that though."

"Did they tell you what they do in the club?" Naru asked.

"Some of them, yes," Sho answered. "They said they had regular group study activities…And they have this one meeting where each member presents something cool about parapsychology – ghost stuff usually."

"Had any of them tried doing some ritual?" Takigawa asked – his face suddenly serious.

Sho shrugged his shoulders. "They said they tried a lot of things – some of them in other languages. There were even times when they tried drugs to reach some point of…clarity..?"

"Eh? They use drugs?" Mai asked, placing two cups of tea on the table – one for Naru and the other for Sho. Sho bowed in thanks and sipped the tea. She then gave another cup to Takigawa.

"They use it outside school premises," Sho said. "And they said they don't do it regularly. Like one time, my friend said they used some disgusting stuff used in Africa or somewhere…And they didn't do it again because it didn't exactly taste good."

"It felt good though, for them," Takigawa said before sipping his tea. Mai sat beside him, listening to Sho.

"They said it was like they were dreaming," Sho answered. "And it felt too scary to experience again."

Naru stared at his notes, eyes slightly wider. "Who usually introduces the best…tricks?"

"Maeda-san, I guess," Sho said. "My friend said it was one reason why they chose Maeda-san to be the club president – he knew so much about parapsychology, it was like he was their guru."

Naru nodded and looked up at him. "Can you ask them to come here for a brief interview?"

"Yeah, they're still here in campus," Sho answered. "I can tell them about it right away."

"That's good," Naru said. "And these club members, is there a place here in campus where they usually stay in?"

"Um…That tree in the grove in front of the psychology building," Sho answered.

Naru nodded. "Thank you," he said. He then looked up at Takigawa. "Any more questions you'd like to ask?"

"Yeah," Takigawa answered. "You never thought about joining the club?"

Sho smiled. "I did, actually," he said. "But they changed their rules and, well…let's just say it crushed my chances of joining the club."

Takigawa raised a brow at him.

"It's invitational," Mai said.

Takigawa looked at Mai. Naru glanced at her.

"They choose people who would join their club," Mai said. "They lost the university's recognition because of that. They're more of an underground club now."

Takigawa looked at Naru. He noticed how his blue eyes suddenly strayed at nowhere.

Sho was drinking the rest of his tea when Naru spoke. "Did you get an invitation?" he asked Mai.

Sho and Takigawa raised a brow at Naru.

"Yes," Mai innocently answered.

"You what?!" Sho gasped. "When?!"

Takigawa's jaw dropped.

Mai shyly looked at Sho. "That was before I met you – around the first day of school," she said. "A girl approached me and asked me how her hair was. Then she pointed to a group of students paces away from us, and told me they want me to be their friend but they wanted me to do something first."

Takigawa frowned. "And you weren't tempted to join them?"

Mai turned to Takigawa. "I didn't know they were the parapsychology club until I heard my classmates telling me about them," she said. "And I don't like people who befriend you just because you can do something they like."

Naru sighed, looking somewhat relieved.

"You could have at least told me about it," Sho said. "I was really curious about that girl who hands the club's inivitation."

"You mean they assign a specific student distribute the invitation?" Takigawa asked. "Is she cute or something?"

Mai glared at him. "Stop that, Bou-san! You sound like a pervert!"

Takigawa shrugged. "I was just asking."

"That's what they say," Sho answered. "She's cute. But you won't see her anywhere else in campus. You won't even know her name unless you're part of the club."

"So you'll only see this girl when you're part of the club?" Naru asked.

"Yup," Sho answered.

Takigawa turned to Mai. "Well, what did she look like?"

"Long curly brown hair," Mai answered. "She's slightly shorter than Masako. She has very pale skin, and she has round green eyes. I thought she was an exchange student of sorts."

"Really..?" Sho asked, puzzled. "A friend of mine who got an invite said she looked like that hell girl character – Enma Ai?"

"Enma who..?" Takigawa asked.

"Enma Ai," Mai answered. "She has long straight hair, red round eyes and pale skin. She's supposed to be a demon that makes deals with people in exchange for their soul."

Takigawa groaned, frowning. "Geez," he muttered. "Even animes promote demons!"

Mai sighed. "That's not what it does, Bou-san."

"You said only one girl is assigned to hand out the invitations," Naru said.

Mai and Takigawa looked at Sho. Sho nodded. "That's what I heard."

"Then how come the girl Mai saw seemed like a Caucasian?" Takigawa asked.

"I don't know," Sho said shrugging his shoulders.

"That would be all for today," Naru said, standing up.

Sho stood up as well.

Takigawa and Mai stared confused at Naru.

"Thank you, Onishi-san" Naru said reaching his hand out. "Please tell your friends to visit us for a brief interview."

"Sure," Sho said, shaking Naru's hand. "No problem. Just tell me what you need."

"I'll walk with him to the hallway," Mai said prancing to Sho's side.

Naru only sat back down.

Takigawa watched Mai and Sho walk out of the room. He then took his seat beside Naru. "You think those kids summoned that shadow man?"

"I hope they didn't," Naru answered, tapping his pen on the exposed page of his notebook.

* * *

><p>"They didn't intimidate you, did they?" Mai asked Sho as they walked down the hallway.<p>

"Oh no," Sho said shyly. "…Not at all." They just asked him questions after all…a lot about the case… a little about…well… not about the case. Was he intimidated? Sure! …But not because of the interview. "So you received an invite and you didn't tell me?"

Mai sighed. "I didn't think it was important," she said. "A lot of people don't like that club."

"That's true," Sho answered. "Still, you didn't really think it was a good clique?"

"Nope," she said. "If anything, it gave me the creeps."

Sho nodded. "Hey," he said. "Do you think your boss is blaming that club for the shadow people in the old building?"

Mai smiled. "Naru is anything but someone who jumps to conclusions," she said. "He's very meticulous with his work. Heck! He's even meticulous about his things!"

Sho smirked. "You really know a lot about him."

Mai's cheeks flushed. "Yeah…I guess," she said. "We were friends after all."

"So what happened?" Sho asked. "…If it's not too much to ask of course."

Mai sighed. "I left," she answered quietly.

"Oh," he said. "It…didn't work out..?"

"No," Mai said, chuckling and looking out at the window. "I was being stupid."

Sho frowned. "…Because it didn't work..?"

Mai laughed. "No, no," she said. "It was working great, I just…I thought it was wrong."

Sho raised his brows at Mai. "Wrong..?"

Mai shrugged her shoulders, sighing. "Have you ever had that friend who's…just so good for you? That sometimes you wonder what in the world you did to deserve having that friend in your life?"

Sho smirked. "I have," he said. "I'm actually talking to her now."

Mai frowned. "Very funny, Sho-kun."

Sho chuckled. "I'm serious! I'm still amazed that I'm actually friends with you," he said. "I bet, Naru's as puzzled about having you as I am."

Mai burst into laughter. "Naru doesn't wonder about things like that," she said. "For him, he deserves to have everything and anything in the world."

Sho snickered. "Maybe," he said. "Or maybe that's what he wants you to think…so you won't think twice."

"What did you say?" Mai asked.

"Nothing," Sho said. "Naru is scary. I still can't shake off that glare of his."

Mai chuckled. "I know!"

* * *

><p>Mai trotted back to the room in time to see Naru walking out the door.<p>

"Naru!" she greeted. "You need to go somewhere?"

"Where is the psychology building?" he asked.

"Um...The third building from this one," Mai said. "Why? Are you planning to meet with the parapsychology club?"

"Can you show me where they stay there?"

"I can," Mai said nodding at him. "I'll go with you."

They reached the building in silence. Mai watched Naru anxiously, seeing how deep his thoughts were running in his blue eyes.

"Naru," Mai began. "What do you want to do?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Naru asked. "Where are they?" he said, stopping to stare at the grove in front of the psychology building.

Mai looked at the tree shades and saw several groups of students chatting with their peers. One group however was staring coldly at them.

Mai swallowed, chills running up her spine. Why didn't she feel that creeped out about the group before?

"Go back to the room," Naru said, walking toward the odd group of students. "Help Takigawa-san with the interviews."

Mai frowned. "No way! I'm coming with you!"

Naru turned and glared at her.

Mai glared back at him.

After a moment of glaring at each other, Naru turned away and sighed. He walked to the group and Mai walked quickly to catch up with him.

When they were only a few paces from the group, Naru spoke to her.

"Do you see her?" Naru asked.

"Who?"

"...The girl who invited you to the club."

Mai looked at the group and scanned their faces. "No, I don't. She's probably in a class or something. She looked like a typical freshman. I mean fresh out of high school. And almost half of the freshman community have class schedules at this hour. The rest, like me, will have a similar schedule tomorrow."

Naru didn't respond. He just continued to walk toward the group.

When they reached the tree, he stopped to stand just a few steps away from the students. The group was apparently sitting in a circle on the concrete bench under the tree. Their dead eyes looked blankly at him.

Mai couldn't help but cringe. But she kept her place beside Naru.

Naru took a step forward.

Mai followed, but his left hand quickly gripped her hand. He gave it a squeeze.

She looked up at him, confused. Her heart was doing summersaults, but she wasn't sure if it was because of the intimate gesture, or the scary tension looming over their heads.

"Hello," Naru said – his professional smile on his face. "My sincere apologies for the intrusion. Are you the parapsychology club?"

"Why do you want to know?" asked one of them – a girl who looked like she was on her fourth year in the university.

Mai noticed how hollow and zombie-like they appeared. She inched closer to Naru.

He didn't seem to mind the contact. He even pressed his back against her, as if he was shielding her from an enemy.

"I'm a paranormal investigator," he answered. "My team was hired to conduct an investigation in the old building. I presume you've heard about it."

One of them gave an eerie smirk. The others, five of them – two boys and three girls, just stared with their blank eyes. One of them, the shortest, looked familiar...

It somehow reminded her of the conversation they had with Sho about the student in charge of handing out invitations in the parapsychology club.

Mai's eyes went wide. The shortest one looked like Emma Ai! She didn't have the pair of red eyes though. Hers were just deep and black. She must be in charge of the invitations!

"We have," said the girl who answered Naru. "Why are you here?"

"I heard about your club, and decided to consult you on the matter," he said. "I've been part of a similar group in my school, and we usually conducted investigations on odd activities in our campus. I figured you've done some investigations on the old building before we arrived."

"You're a professional though, aren't you?" asked another student in the group – a short-haired girl. She was glaring at Naru.

"And we started out like all of you," Naru said coolly. "...Unless of course, you were too scared of the old building to investigate on those haunting rumors."

The smirking girl in the group burst into laughter. "You're very sly, doctor," she said. "I like you. We checked the building out. There's nothing there."

"When did you go there?" Naru asked.

"A few months ago," the girl said. "We would have taken your girlfriend over there if she wasn't such a scaredy cat."

Mai gasped – fear gripping her insides, making her cringe. They remembered her!

She felt Naru's grip tighten slightly, reminding her to stay calm. He must have sensed the tremble in her hand.

"How did you conduct your investigation?" Naru asked, ignoring the girl's comment about Mai.

"The usual," answered the girl proudly. "EMF, Infrared, historical research, interviews – nothing. Does your famous medium say there's something there?"

Mai stared confused at the dead-eyed students. They seem to know a lot about the investigation they were conducting in the old building. As far as she knew though, the head master only informed the students about Naru's involvement – not Masako's or anyone else's.

"Have you been to the building lately?" Naru asked.

"We only go there for initiations," the girl answered.

"You have initiations?" Mai asked without thinking.

The girl smiled widely at Mai. "Of course," she said. "We had to make sure our members were worth the membership. You would have passed it with flying colors."

Mai frowned and clenched her fists from trembling. Naru's hold softened.

"When was your last initiation ceremony?" Naru asked.

The girl smiled at him. "We can do one tonight," she said. "You look like a good candidate, doctor."

Mai glared at the girl, feeling her vocal cords stretch to release a threat.

"Thank you," Naru said calmly, smiling back at her. "I'll take that as a compliment. One last question – Maeda Yuuta. Do you know him?"

The girl's face contorted into a scowl. "He's a traitor," she hissed.

"I heard he was your club president at one point," Naru said.

"We kicked him out," the girl said. "He didn't deserve the membership."

Mai looked confused at the girl. "How did he not deserve his membership?"

The girl looked at Mai and for a moment she felt like the girl was staring at her insides. "He betrayed us," she said. "He betrayed our cause."

"What is your cause?" Naru asked.

The girl smiled eerily at Naru. "To prove our field exists."

"What..?" Mai asked, puzzled at the statement.

"Would there be anymore questions?" the girl said. "We're studying for an exam."

Mai frowned. There weren't any books on their laps. There weren't even papers or open notebooks! They were just sitting there – in a small circle, staring at her and Naru!

"That would be all," Naru answered. "Thank you. Would you mind giving me your names? It's just so I can ask for you in case we need your assistance."

The girl chuckled. "You know where to find it," she said. "…And where to find us."

The students in the group then turned their heads away from Naru and Mai, as if they suddenly thought they were too filthy to look at.

Mai swallowed, slightly shaking from the conversation.

Her head was swimming in mid air. Everything suddenly felt too headaching and confusing to understand.

"Let's head back," Naru said, pulling Mai away from the place – his hand still holding Mai's.

They were walking down the pathway between buildings when Mai realized there was one particular thing in the conversation that made it very odd for her.

"Naru," she said. "You introduce yourself as Shibuya Kazuya, president of SPR, right?"

"Yes," Naru answered, not sparing her a glance.

Mai looked puzzled at the path. "Back there…they called you…'doctor,'" she said.

Naru glanced at her.

Mai looked up at him. "We didn't introduce ourselves to them too, right?"

Naru stopped walking. "How many students were you seeing in the group?"

Mai raised her brows at Naru. "Six," she answered.

"One of them was a long haired girl, smaller than the others," Naru said.

"Yeah," Mai answered. "I thought she was a freshman, but I guess she isn't since she doesn't take the basic freshman course scheduled at this hour. Unless of course she's in my class, but I swear I haven't seen her before and-"

Naru sighed and looked away. "Don't ever go back there without me," he said.

"W-What..?"

Naru glared at her, squeezing her hand.

It was then that she realized how her hand was still locked with his. She froze – blood rushing to her cheeks.

Naru took both her hands in his, squeezed them, and pulled her close to him – her face a breath away from him. "You won't talk to any of them," he said. "…Without me. You won't go back there on your own, or with anyone else, unless you're with me. Promise me that."

Mai just blinked at him, feeling her heart thumping fast and hard against her chest at the distance between them. She could feel her cheeks burning.

If she leaned forward a little, she would be kissing-

"Promise me," Naru hissed.

"Ah-I p-promise," Mai breathed. "I promise."

Naru sighed and released her. He turned away and continued to walk away.

Mai sighed. She should have taken that step and kissed him senseless! But what if he pushed her away? What if he preferred kissing that famous medium?

"Mai," she heard him call a few steps away from her.

She stiffly looked up.

"Are you just going to stand there?"

"N-no! I'm coming with you," she said, running to catch up with him.

* * *

><p>There was a group of male students in the interview room when Naru and Mai walked in. Apparently, Sho sent them all a message about the interview the moment he stepped out of the room.<p>

His friends were more than willing to share what they knew about the peculiar club. And Takigawa, manning the room, conducted the interview. He casually sat across the boys as if he was chatting with his bandmates.

"Ah, you must be Mai-chan!" said one of them – a tall one with spiky hair. "Sho hadn't introduced us to you. He's still probably thinking of making your relationship official before he did so."

The three other students in the room thumped his head, hissing at him to stop making fun of Sho and Mai.

Mai stiffly smiled at them, feeling uncomfortable on the topic of their bickering. After all, Naru, her somewhat former boyfriend, was in the room with them.

"I'm Shibuya Kazuya," he introduced calmly. "And you've met my assistant, Mai. Onishi-san said you've been part of the parapsychology club."

"Oh yeah," the man said. "Takigawa-san's been asking us about it."

Naru nodded. "Mind if I join in?"

"Not at all!" he said, smiling at him. "We were just getting to the good part!"

Naru took a seat beside Takigawa and raised a brow at him. Takigawa smiled at him and handed him his notes.

"Would you like some tea?" Mai asked the students.

"Sure! We heard you're good at making tea."

Mai shrugged her shoulders. "Don't believe everything Sho-kun tells you," she said smiling. "He exaggerates a lot."

"We agree with you there!"

Mai chuckled and went on with preparing the tea. She couldn't imagine those boys being part of the parapsychology club – sitting in a circle under a tree with dead...vacant eyes and bone-chilling smiles on their faces. They were just too jolly and cheerful to be part of the group.

She suddenly remembered what that girl in the club said about their initiation – that they make sure their members were worthy of being part of their group... That they do it in the old building...

Did they measure someone's worth based on bubbliness? Was that why they kicked Maeda Yuuta out? He was just too jolly and cheerful to act as odd as them?

But the girl also mentioned something about the cause of their club...prove their field existed... What was that supposed to mean?

"So you all joined the club a year ago," she heard Naru say.

"Yup," the one with the spiky hair whose name turned out to be Wataru, said. "We liked reading ghost stories back in high school, you see. We enjoyed reading about urban legends and rituals too. At one point, we even wanted to study parapsychology. But it wasn't readily available here as a degree. And we didn't have that much money to get ourselves a degree outside the country. Heck! We don't even have passports!"

The other students laughed in agreement.

Mai poured tea over several ceramic cups in the make-shift kitchen.

That was true. She wanted to study parapsychology in the university, but the closest course available there was psychology.

"So how was the club when you first became its members?" Naru asked.

Silence suddenly filled the room.

Mai turned to glance at them. The students' jolly expressions were replaced with grim ones.

"Far different than what it is now," Tamotsu, the plump one in the group answered. "We've been telling Takigawa-san about it. The club was just like any academic organization. Only, of course, they discussed paranormal stuff. A lot of people looked down on them. But almost everyone just didn't care. I guess they also enjoyed the creepy stuff they do at some extent."

Mai served the tea, handing each interviewee a cup. She also gave Takigawa and Naru their own cups of tea. She then took a seat next to Naru.

"And these people who don't like the club," Naru said.

"If you're asking about people who overtly ridicule the organization," Wataru said, smirking. "There aren't any. They just think it's pointless to bully a club that already had a bullied reputation to begin with."

"So there was no form of attacks on the club?"

"Nope," Rouki, the long-haired one in the group answered. "...None that we know of, at least. The club's been totally peaceful and fun until around six months ago."

Mai frowned.

Six months...

She glanced at Takigawa and Naru. Naru had his professional face on. Takigawa's face on the other hand seemed serious and grim.

"What happened six months ago?" Naru asked.

"Maeda Yuuta was still the club president then," Wataru answered. "We did lots of stuff in the club and a lot of them were his idea. He was proclaimed president of the club for two-straight years. And he's been introducing great stuff to the club since he became a member of the club."

"What kinds of stuff are you talking about?" Mai asked interested at what the club did. She had an idea about what math clubs and science clubs did, but not parapsychology clubs. And she wondered if what Naru said earlier was correct – that they conduct paranormal investigations of their own.

"We have this workshop every month," Masao, the skinny one in the group wearing glasses said, looking at her. "We discuss about parapsychology – what it really is, how it's used, it's relevance in life... We don't always say that ghost stories are real, you see. A lot of them are just exaggerated accounts. Well, you know that don't you? ...Since you're professionals."

Mai smiled. "...Shibuya-san and Bou-san here are, yes. I'm just crashing the party. So you do investigations?"

"No," Rouki answered. "We discuss already resolved cases. We first guess if a paranormal activity is real or not, without knowing what the professionals said about them. Usually, they are ghosts caught on video or photographs. We discuss why it could be real and why it couldn't be real. Then we do the fun part – we replicate those ghostly images on the video and photographs."

"We learned a lot about photo editing and special effects in those sessions," Masao said. "At the end of the session, we would always joke about someday becoming special effects artists with what we've learned!"

"Then Maeda-sempai learned he had a deceased twin," Wataru said. "Maeda was adopted by his aunt and uncle. They were good parents to him. They're very friendly too."

"Oba-san was very supportive of Maeda-sempai," Tamotsu said, smiling at the memory of the old woman. "She even made rice balls and tempura for all of us when we went to their house for a workshop! She's an awesome cook!"

"The deceased twin," Naru prompted.

"Ah, Maeda-sempai turned out to have a twin who stayed with his biological parents," Wataru said. "He didn't know he existed until they received a letter that his twin died of an illness. We don't know much about their family issues."

Naru nodded. "Maeda-san was depressed?"

"Totally!" Tamotsu exclaimed. "He stared at nowhere a lot, and froze up whenever he saw a reflection of himself. I heard he wanted to have a brother for a while. So when he learned that he really did have one, and he didn't even get to meet him, he cracked."

"He seemed to recover a couple of weeks later," Rouki said. "He started to make some changes in the workshop – the topics, I mean. We started discussing about various beliefs and mystic phenomena. It was pretty cool at first. One time, we even used a set of mystic scripts to write secret messages!"

"What kind of scripts?" Takigawa asked, brows furrowing with curiosity.

"Different kinds," Masao answered. "One time, we used Sanskrit. At one point, we used Latin. Then we used the Celestial Alphabet."

"Celestial Alphabet..?" Mai asked.

"The letters used by Angel-san," Tamotsu explained.

Takigawa frowned. "What on earth are you kids doing?" he muttered. "Do you still have some of those notes written in Sanskrit?"

"I do," Tamotsu said, fishing out something from his wallet. "I keep a lot of those notes we used in the club for old time's sake."

"And for other things," Rouki said, smirking.

"Yeah," Tamotsu said shyly, scratching his head as he handed a piece of paper to Takigawa.

Mai stood up and walked to stand behind Takigawa, curiously looking at the piece of paper. She frowned at the sight of the scribbles. It looked more like an abstract drawing made of curls than a note.

Takigawa on the other hand stiffened at the sight of the scribbles. "Do you know what this means?" he asked in a low voice.

Mai stared surprised at Takigawa. He was pissed.

"I-It's a mantra for controlling an enemy," Tamotsu answered, feeling the anger in Takigawa's tone. "You say it ten thousand times, replacing 'amuk' with the name of who you want to control."

Takigawa looked up and glared at each of the students. "Had any one of you tried this trick before?" he asked.

"N-no," Masao answered. "Besides, it needs a lot of spiritual energy and concentration to make that mantra work. We're not that angry about anyone in particular."

Takigawa crumpled the paper. "What other mantras are you keeping?"

"Not much," Wataru answered. "...Just the ones for protection... Not that we actually use them."

"So you use them as amulets," Naru said.

"Well," Tamotsu said. "We use other things as amulets."

"Like what?" Takigawa asked.

"Like this," Wataru said, pulling out something from his pocket – another piece of paper.

Naru took the paper and examined it. Mai looked over his shoulder.

Unlike the paper from Tamotsu, the paper in Naru's hand bore what seemed like...a geometric logo of sorts. There were lines and circles, and if Mai didn't know better, she would have thought it was a blueprint of a circuit board.

"What's that?" Takigawa asked, looking at the paper in Naru's hand.

"A sigil," Naru answered.

"Sigil..?" Mai asked.

Naru looked up at them. "Have any of you used this before?"

"Like in a ritual?" Tamotsu asked.

"No," Masao answered. "We're too scared to even try. Angels are pretty scary."

"Wait! What are you all talking about?" Mai asked, frowning at Naru.

"Sigils are symbols used in magic," Naru said, offering the paper to Mai. "This is one of them."

Mai took the paper and closely examined it. "So...you pray on it?"

"Something like that," Masao answered. "You do a ritual with it. You can wish for things using that paper. Well…depending on the name you wrote on the paper."

"So…This symbol here is supposed to be a name?" Takigawa asked.

The four interviewees nodded.

"You can also, supposedly, summon things," Naru said looking at the group.

"Oh!" Mai exclaimed, catching up with the conversation. "

"This however is from a Western belief."

"Yup," Wataru said, nodding. "That's how in depth our workshops became."

"...To the point that you're studying cults and conjuring magic?" Takigawa asked, shocked.

"We didn't exactly know parapsychologists didn't necessarily need to know how to use those until we were out of the club, okay?" Wataru defended.

Takigawa sighed in frustration. He rubbed his face a couple of times before looking at the group again.

"Did you also drink special concoctions?" Naru asked.

"Not so much," Wataru answered. "When Maeda-sempai told us we had to drink a bowl of mystery drink to experience astral projection or out of body experience, me and my pals here, called it quits."

"We didn't want to die," Tamotsu said. "Or get expelled for taking drugs."

Mai's jaw dropped.

To think that there was a club in the university that did such things was just...well...unthinkable!

"The school doesn't know this?" Mai asked.

"This is the first time we're actually sharing this to someone else," Wataru said. "The club is very strict. And with all the things it already knows, we're not sure anymore about what harm it can do to us if we spilled those information out to just about everyone."

Silence filled the room.

"So why are you sharing this to us now?" Takigawa asked, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Well, one, you're professionals," Masao answered. "Or we were hoping you were professional enough to know what we're talking about and not call us disturbed college kids."

"And two," Wataru continued. "We want all of this to stop. We see our friends in the club everyday but they don't see us. And they look more horrible everyday. We want whatever it is they are doing to stop."

"If they are reported to the school authorieties," Mai began.

"They're not scared of being expelled," Naru cut her off.

Mai looked surprised at her.

"I bet they're not even scared of anyone in authority now," Naru continued – his blue eyes on Wataru.

"You got that right," Wataru said in a low voice.

Suddenly, everyone in the room was serious.

"What happened to Maeda-san?" Naru asked.

"He moved out of Shibuya with his family," Masao answered. "Days after we heard he was kicked out of the club - after Kondo Akira, Nodaru Tomiko and Kouki Ichi went away. The club had been trimming down its numbers that time, and he was the last one who was evicted from the club."

"Do you have any idea why he was kicked out of the club?" Takigawa asked.

"Definitely not because of what he introduced to the club," Rouki said, smirking. "That's for sure."

"Whatever else he'd shared in the club after we left is still being practiced by the numbers," Tomatsu said. "At least, that's what they appear to be doing with the weird aura they have now."

"No one's been hurt though," Mai said. "By anyone in the club, right..?"

Wataru chuckled. "If you don't count the members of the club, sure," he said. "We haven't heard of anyone else getting into trouble by any 'odd' means."

Naru nodded. "No one's had contact with Maeda-san and his friends since they left?"

The students shook their heads.

"I heard about the club conducting an initiation in the old building," Naru said. "Is this true?"

"I guess," Wataru said. "Dosu-sempai was just suggesting it before we left the club. I guess now it's part of the rules."

"Dosu?" Mai asked.

"He's the new club president," Masao answered. "He was Maeda-san's most faithful follower. He agreed to anything he proposed to do. He even suggested to tell everyone in the university about what we know. One time, he proposed that we did a ritual demonstration. None of us agreed. We were already ridiculed as it was, and if we were sure that if we did a ritual demonstration in public we would be called occultists instead of scientists."

Mai's face saddened. It must have been really tough. She thought that with all the people she knew who were interested in ghost stories, a science dealing with such field would be easily accepted.

"How does this initiation go?" Takigawa asked.

"They go into the old building," Masao answered. "Do some snooping around, and tell us if there's a ghost there or not…or tell us something else interesting in the building."

"So you've checked the building out," Takigawa said.

"Yup," Wataru answered. "That was like our first 'real' case. And it was squeaky clean – no ghosts, no lurking spirits – just space."

Takigawa and Mai frowned.

Either the club did a poor job at investigating, or the shadow wasn't there when they checked it out. Then again, they were amateurs so they must have missed it in their snooping around.

"When did you conduct this investigation?" Naru asked.

"Around seven months ago," Masao answered. "It was a workshop activity."

"Of course," Takigawa muttered, rolling his eyes.

"You just explored the building," Naru said.

"That's right," Wataru confidently said. "We did the standared EMFs thing, and infrared and-"

"Whoa! Wait! Where did you get those tools?" Takigawa asked.

"We have connections," Rouki said, winking.

"He means friends with second hand cameras we could use without the owner's knowledge," Masao said, smiling at them. "And some junk shops where we gathered enough stuff for a make-shift EMF detector."

Takigawa sighed, smirking. "Youth," he muttered.

"Was that the only time you went to the building?" Naru asked.

"Yes," answered Wataru, Masao, and Tamotsu.

Naru looked at Rouki who was suddenly deep in thought.

"Rouki-kun?" Mai asked. Takigawa was also looking at him with a raised brow.

"Oi," Wataru said, all three of them looking at Rouki. "Care to share what you know?"

"Y-yeah," Rouki answered. He looked up at Naru. "I remember Maeda-sempai inviting some of us to go back to the building – turn it into our headquarters or something like that."

"When was this?" Masao asked.

Rouki turned to look at his friends. "It was around two weeks after we inspected the place," he answered. "He just consulted a few of us. Around four of us I think."

"And that five includes you?" Wataru asked.

"Y-yeah," Rouki said shyly, scratching his head. "Something like that. I backed out."

"Who was the four who went back there?" Takigawa asked.

"Kondo Akira, Nodaru Tomiko, Kouki Ichi**, **and Yamahiko Koushiro," Rouki answered.

"What did they do in the building?" Naru asked.

"Well…Koushiro-san said they did a cleansing ritual in the building," Rouki said. "Just to make sure it was clean for us to turn into a permanent office. Of course, it was illegal."

"When did they perform the cleansing ritual?" Naru asked.

"Two weeks later, I think."

Naru nodded. "One more thing," he said. "Do you know about the member of the club who hands out membership invitations?"

Wataru and his friends sighed. They all glanced at each other and nodded.

"We weren't invitational before," Wataru said. "I see you know that. The invitational rule was applied after we got out of the club - when they started to look...zombie-like. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that we don't know the member of the club who who distributes the invitations."

"But have you seen the student before?" Naru asked.

"No," the four answered.

"It's weird 'coz we see every member of the club in the usual spot everyday," Tamotsu said. "But we've never seen the member people describe as the club's invite personnel."

"Not even the exchange student?" Mai asked.

Masao raised a brow at Mai. "I'm sorry, Mai-chan," he said. "This is the first time I've heard of an exchange student in the club distributing invitations. And this is the first time I've heard of an exchange student in the university. Well, at least for this year. I'm a student assistant in the registrar's office so I hear news about exchange student programs before it's released in the school grounds."

"So there shouldn't be an exchange student here," Naru said. "How about foreign students?"

"That depends," Masao answered.

"Caucasian?" Takigawa asked. "Supposedly a freshman."

Masao thought for a moment. "We have Caucasian Masters and Doctors degree students," he said. "I don't recall any undergraduates though."

Mai was about to reason that the girl she saw must have been a graduate degree student when Naru nodded and began to speak. "That would be all for now," he said. "We may need to call you back for help."

"No problem," Wataru said, smiling. "It's a great honor to work with professionals like you."

"I'll have Ayako make some charms for you," Takigawa said. "You'll still be around in the afternoon, right?"

"Yeah," Tamotsu said. "We'll even come back here after our class if you want."

"Sure," Takigawa answered smiling back at them. "In the meantime, you guys be careful. And stop playing with those papers, okay?"

"Yes, sir!" the four replied, bowing at them.

They then said their goodbyes and left the room.

Takigawa stretched his arms up and sighed. "So…This Maeda kid learns he had a twin who died, goes crazy, looks into cults and magic spells for a diversion and performs a ritual in the old building," he said. He glanced at Naru. "You think that shadow man is his twin?"

"If he is, Hara-san would have recognized him," Naru said.

Mai looked at Naru. She suddenly wondered if the details of the case reminded him of Gene. Did he ever try the things Maeda-san did?

"So that shadow could still be a demon," Takigawa said, sighing.

Naru tapped his pen on the notebook for a moment. "I'll be going back to the building," he said, standing up. "Takigawa-san, stay here in case other students come in. You can close the room at three."

"Yes, sir," Takigawa said, giving Naru a military salute.

Mai stood up. "I'm going with you," she said. "I don't have any class to go to for the rest of the day."

Naru didn't respond. He just walked out of the room with Mai on his tail.

* * *

><p>"So what are we going to do now?" Mai asked as they reached the building. Naru didn't talk to her on the way.<p>

"We head to the base," Naru answered.

They walked to the base where John, Masako and Ayako were.

Mai forgot the three of them were assigned to observe the footages and the building for any sign of paranormal activity.

"We haven't seen anything interesting," Ayako said. "And I've finished making the charms you told me to make."

Mai looked surprised at Ayako. So Naru told her to make some charms too.

"Good," Naru said before turning to Masako. "Do you still sense it?"

"I do," Masako answered. "It's still in the building - somewhere here at least."

Naru looked at everyone. "We need to check on the building again," he said. "Matsuzaki-san, please give them their charms. I'll be assigning each of you an area to inspect."

"Why do we have to do another round?" Ayako asked. "Why can't we just perform an exorcism?"

"We've found out rituals had been performed in this building," Naru answered. "I want to know how far those rituals went."

John, Masako and Ayako looked surprised at Naru.

"So the school has hired other experts to exorcise the building?" Ayako asked.

"No," Naru said. "Students have been performing various rituals here - amateurs who try out any ritual they find in the web."

"So this could really be a..." Masako said.

"I want you to check the walls and the floors for any odd-looking symbol," Naru continued. "Show me a picture of whatever you find, or at least make sure to remember them and be able to accurately draw them in front of me after you've completed your rounds. Hara-san and Matsuzaki-san, you're in charge of the top floor and the second floor's right wing. Brown-san and Mai, you two are in charge of the second floor's left wing and the ground floor."

"What about you?" Ayako asked.

"I'll be here in the base," Naru said, taking a seat in front of the monitors.

Ayako raised a brow at him.

When no one moved, Naru tapped the keys on the keyboard. "Did you not understand my Japanese?" Naru said.

Ayako glared at Naru. "Fine," she muttered. She turned to Mai, John and Masako - handing them each a piece of paper bearing a symbol.

"You'll be left alone here," Mai told Naru.

Naru ignored her and instead began to place a call on his mobile phone.

Mai sighed.

Ayako tapped her shoulder. "Don't worry," she said. "I bet the ghost doesn't stand a chance against his glare."

Mai chuckled.

She sure hoped that was true.

She glanced at Naru again before she stepped out of the room. Naru was still busy tapping some keys on the keyboard. His other hand held the mobile phone against his ear.

Mai sighed and turned away.

"Mai," she suddenly heard him say.

Mai turned to look at him – her heart jumping at the sound of his voice.

"Be careful," he said.

Mai's jaw dropped. Her brown eyes stared confused at Naru. "Wh-what..?"

But he already started talking to whoever answered his phone call.


	45. Chapter 45

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing the previous chapter _^ v ^

_HAPPY NEW YEAR!_

_LOL _^ v ^ _I don't see anything wrong with having a Sho fan club, **Reario. **I actually think it's cool! It'll be like Team Sho and Team Naru and- o~kay. NO. Let's not go there._

_WHOA! Someone's on the right track! _^ v *_ ~wink~ **Rhiannonlee93**_

_I like your questions, **Adrienne Lynne **_^ v ^_ I'm not answering them through an AN though. _

_Aww...I'm really glad a lot of you felt creeped out about the club (this sounds so wrong...). That's actually the desired effect in the previous chapter. _

_Anyway, here is this week's chapter. Do tell me what you all think about it. _

* * *

><p>"I honestly thought the search you made us do was useless," Ayako said, sitting on a chair in the base. John, Masako and Takigawa were also seated in the room with Naru on the chair in front of the computer. Naru was facing them with a couple of folders on his lap.<p>

Mai was serving each one a cup of tea. It was mid-afternoon when they all got back from inspecting the building. Aside from making tea, Naru also told her to distribute the sandwiches inside a paperback that magically found its way to Naru's table.

By the look of each clubhouse sandwich, it was prepared with meticulous hands – most likely by a woman.

Mai bit her lip as she served the sandwiches. Perhaps he bought it from a store nearby, though the paper bag or the paper wrapping the sandwiches didn't have a name on it. Perhaps he brought it with him, though the ham in the sandwiches still felt warm. Perhaps someone delivered it to him. Someone…

Mai tried not to wince at the sting she suddenly felt inside her. Might as well just forget what she was thinking of.

"But then, we saw these," Ayako said showing her mobile phone screen with a photo of a wooden window frame. It had some kind of symbol carved on it.

Naru took the phone and examined the picture.

Mai had already seen it. She, John, and Masako had examined each photo they took while inspecting the building. They met in the hallway before heading to the base to meet with Naru.

At first, they thought they were typical vandalism – gang symbols, ugly drawings, random carvings. But many of carvings looked the same. It was as if the carvings meant something.

And they were found in specific locations.

Takigawa stood behind Naru to get a better look at the pictures. He frowned as Naru browsed through the photographs.

"The symbol on the first photo is carved in window frames in all the floors," Ayako explained.

That first symbol, Mai remembered looked like a circle of devil's forks, dots and curves.

"The symbol on the second photo is carved on the corners of the ceiling," Ayako continued.

John, Masako, Mai and I have collated what we've found. John said the areas where the symbols were etched weren't as dusty as they should be."

Takigawa nodded. "He's right," he said. "Those symbols seem like they were carved there just a month or so ago. The dust there is thinner."

"We're not sure what they are though," Ayako said.

"Well I'm quite sure the symbol on the second photo resembles a Sanskrit script," Takigawa answered.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Ayako asked.

Takigawa looked at the others and folded his arms over his chest in thought. "The symbol represents a vowel - Om, I think. Hey, I think the first one also looks a little like Sanskrit...it's just...wrongly written..?"

"It's not Sanskrit," Naru said.

"W-What..?" Takigawa asked, raising his brows at Naru.

"It looks a little like Sanskrit but it isn't," Naru continued – his blue eyes looking at the photo of the symbol. He looked up at the others. "Did you find anything else?"

"Yes," John answered. "Actually, Taniyama-san was the one who found it. It wasn't a complete symbol, more like a remnant of one. It's on one of the rooms on the right wing of the ground floor."

John fished out his mobile phone from his pocket, pulled up the photograph of what they saw, and gave it to Naru.

Naru handed Ayako's phone back to Ayako and took John's phone to look at what he was talking about. Takigawa examined the photo as well.

On the floor were patches of lines. They were very thin…very light…set of curves that, if connected with each other, seemed to form a circle. There were also patches of lines inside the "circle." But they didn't quite seem to form anything when connected with each other.

"Also, if you take a closer look at the floor," John said, "You'll see candle drippings."

Naru swiped his fingers on the phone's screen to zoom into the photo. And indeed there were circles and stains that looked like candle wax on the floor.

"Black candle..?" Takigawa asked, raising a brow at the photograph. Most of the stains were black – others purple, red, and white. "Geez, were they really summoning the devil?"

"So the theory that the Shadow Man-San sneaking around here is a demon wins?" Ayako asked.

"If it's really a demon, we wouldn't be talking here anymore," Naru answered.

Ayako raised a brow at him.

"He means one of us must have been possessed already," Masako answered. "And the one it possessed would have killed us all."

Ayako cringed. "I'm shutting my mouth," she muttered.

"Did anyone else visit you for an interview?" Naru asked Takigawa.

"No one else shared any spooky stories about this building, if that's what you're asking," Takigawa answered. "But I had plenty of students who shared rumors about the parapsychology club. Apparently, your little date with Mai-chan in the grounds gave you enough exposure to get the attention of the college girls here." Takigawa said, winking slyly at Mai.

"Wh-What d-date?!" Mai asked – her cheeks red.

Masako glared at her.

Mai scowled and glared at Takigawa. "If you're talking about our trip to meet the parapsychology club – that was work!"

"That's not exactly what I heard from the girls, but sure," Takigawa said, shrugging his shoulders. "Let's go to the work-related part of my story. So this club apparently calls themselves "The Enlightened" ever since their previous club president moved to another town. They've been rumored to sneak into the university grounds at night frequently, holding secret meetings here in this building. There was a story about how a biology-major member of the club brought a cat into school saying it was for a zoology project. But they said the cat-murder project was not until a week after that day, so they were surprised when the student walked out of the school without the cat. They said the student walked into this building with a purring cat in a garbage bag and walked out of the building without any garbage bag in hand."

"So the cat was left here?" Ayako asked. "We've been watching a live feed of the building halls and rooms here since this morning and there's no sign of any animal lurking around here."

"Exactly," Takigawa said.

Mai swallowed. "Y-you… You think that student killed the cat here?"

"That's the theory," Takigawa answered.

"An animal sacrifice," Ayako said, frowning.

"But for what..?" John asked.

Takigawa smiled. "Bingo!"

"What else did you get?" Naru asked, handing back John's phone.

"They also said the parapsychology club was the coolest but oddest of all the academic organizations in the university," Takigawa answered. "…Until it became more like a cult than a club."

"Let me guess," Ayako said, frowning. "That started when its previous president went AWOL."

"Wow! And I thought old age has slowed your brain functions," Takigawa said, smirking.

Ayako glared at him. "You're lucky I'm still finishing my sandwich," she muttered.

"Oh and I've given the kids their protection charms," Takigawa told Naru.

Naru nodded.

"Naru," Mai said, looking at Naru as he sipped his tea. "What are those folders?"

"Data," Naru answered. "Let's discuss a few things first."

Mai frowned. He was being a jerk again.

"First, those symbols you took pictures of," Naru said. "Those are sigils. I expected to see the first symbol you saw – the one on the windows – but not the one on the ceiling. I believe they were used for the same purpose though – create a sprit barrier."

"Oh! That explains the fact that all the weird stuff only happened inside this building," Takigawa said.

"The spirit is confined here," John said.

"I see," Masako said. "That's why the spirit just stays here. It moves from one corner or floor to another, but it doesn't really disappear."

"You mean you can still feel it?" Mai asked, suddenly filling chills creeping up her spine. What if it was somewhere in the room – listening to them? Or standing beside her that very moment..?!

"Yes," Masako answered. "It's restless because of our presence. But it just floats around."

"Okay, so it's not possessing anyone here right now," Ayako said. "Does this mean we can rule out the shadow-man-equals-demon theory? I mean, if it's really a demon then it should be doing something malevolent right now. And how do you explain the engine of the bulldozer dying when it stopped near the front door? …And the back up bulldozers messing up too! Technically, it's still outside the building."

"It's possible that they hadn't put a seal on the front door at the time," John answered. "Perhaps they didn't expect anyone else to venture into the building."

"And when the news of the incident spread, they went back here to place a seal on the front door," Takigawa continued.

"And the spirit didn't leave this place when the door didn't have a seal?" Mai asked.

Takigawa frowned. "This is more complicated than I thought," he said.

"And the spirit hasn't touched any of us," Ayako added. "Don't get me wrong though. I'm happy it hasn't."

"Perhaps the door **did** have a sigil seal on it," John said. "It just wasn't strong enough. Taniyama-san and I hadn't examined the front doors more thoroughly than the windows and ceiling corners so it's possible that we just missed it."

"That makes sense," Takigawa said, nodding. "And they just strengthened it. Maybe that's why there are two kinds of sigils in this house – the first one was weaker."

"Well with that probably answered, do we start exorcising this place?" Ayako asked.

"Yes," Naru answered. "But we'll do that early tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow..?!" Ayako exclaimed. "The head master wants this done as soon as possible!"

"That's the only possible time we have," Naru said – his blue eyes icily hinting a warning at Ayako. "We have a couple of things to consider."

Takigawa took his seat in the group as Naru began to look at each of them.

"It's possible that they added the second symbol to strengthen the barrier they've already made," Naru continued. "But knowing that doesn't give us an edge with what we're dealing with. The fact that the spirit had been held inside this cage, and that it hadn't done anything other than manifest itself in a video recording are already obvious clues."

"Clues..?" Mai asked.

"I'll simplify it further for Mai's benefit," Naru said.

Mai frowned and glared at Naru.

"How would you feel if you were arrested by a policeman this very moment?" Naru asked.

"I'd be confused," Takigawa answered. "I don't remember breaking the law recently."

"Anxious," John said. "I'll be worried too about what they would do to me – where they would take me, how it would affect my loved ones, and what would happen next."

"Irritated," Ayako answered. "Because I'm sure I'm not a criminal."

"Scared," Mai whispered, suddenly feeling the emotion and seeing herself being dragged away from the group.

Masako just looked down at her hands.

"And how would you feel if you were locked up in jail afterwards," Naru continued. "Without the police giving you any explanation on why they took you away and why you were put in the jail cell?"

"I'd be furious!" Takigawa answered, leaning forward. "That's against the law!"

"Same here," Ayako said. "I'd even call my lawyer!"

"Yeah!" Mai exclaimed. "I'd-" she froze, suddenly realizing something. She held her lips and looked at Naru. "The spirit…"

"The spirit was summoned here against its will," Masako said, looking up at Naru. "Then it was held captive here without even knowing why it was locked up."

Naru didn't say anything. He just looked at each one of them again watching Ayako and Takigawa's faces reflect surprise and realization, John and Masako's face reflect sadness, and Mai…wince.

"Now how would you feel if the police walked into the jail cell and literally kicked you out, without unlocking the cell door?" Naru asked.

Mai gasped. "The spirit might hurt us!" she whispered.

"And doing the exorcism tomorrow morning would keep us safe?" Ayako asked.

"It would give me more data to work with and prepare for whatever effect the exorcism would have with the spirit," Naru answered.

"It's an exorcism," Ayako said.

"No, Naru has a point," Takigawa said, leaning back on his chair. "We don't really know how these sigils work. What if it causes complications in exorcism rituals? What if it just pushes the spirit against the barrier instead of transporting it to where it should be taken to?"

"I agree with Takigawa-san," John said. "We should make sure none of us gets hurt first, including the spirit that is here. It might just be as confused as us about what's happening. And it might not be a demon after all."

Ayako sighed. "Fine, fine," she said. "What time would we do the exorcism tomorrow?"

"Be here at six in the morning," Naru answered. "All three of you should be ready to perform exorcisms."

"I understand," John, Ayako and Takigawa answered.

"You can all go now," Naru said standing up and placing the folders on the table. "…Except you, Mai."

Mai nodded, knowing they still had work to do with the cameras. She started to gather the tea cups. John stood up and helped her.

Takigawa, Ayako, Masako followed. Takigawa was still munching on his sandwich when he noticed how Masako walked toward Naru. He grinned and nudged Ayako to see what was happening.

Ayako smirked. "Eh..? She's really into this, huh?" she muttered.

Mai heard it and looked at where they were looking at. John also turned to look at the scene.

"Oh," John said. "Hara-san is fond of Shibuya-san."

"I can stay here a bit longer to give you a hand," they heard Masako say as she stood close to Naru. "I don't have anything else to do today."

Mai frowned – her cheeks blushing. Naru still seemed too busy tapping the keyboard to reply to Masako but the lack of professional distance between the two irked Mai's nerves.

"Well don't just stand there," Ayako said, nudging Mai. "Go ask your boss what you need to do." She then winked slyly at Mai.

Mai shyly nodded and walked toward Naru.

"What do we do first, boss?" Mai asked, smiling widely at Naru.

Masako turned to look at her. "Its okay, Mai," she said. "I can stay with him."

Mai stiffly smiled at her. "No offense," she began. "But I'm his assistant. I don't go home without him."

"None taken," Masako replied, giving her an innocent smile. "You can start by checking the cameras upstairs."

Mai stiffened. She felt her blood pressure rise.

She didn't care if Masako was Naru's girlfriend or best friend... **ONLY HER BOSS BOSSES HER AROUND!**

Ayako and Takigawa snickered in a corner.

"Eh..?" John asked, looking at the two. "What's going on?"

Mai mustered a wide smile. "Thanks, but I'd like to hear the words from Naru," she said. "I after all take orders from **him**."

"Check the front door for symbols," Naru ordered.

"Yes sir!" she said, giving Naru a salute. She smiled one last time at Masako and turned to go.

"You may go, Hara-san," Naru told Masako – his eyes still on the computer screen.

Masako frowned.

Ayako and Takigawa burst into laughter.

"Now **that** was a slap!" Ayako said.

"I'll help you, Taniyama-san!" John said, walking out the door with Mai.

Mai was smiling triumphantly on the way to the hallway.

* * *

><p>Everything was set up the next morning.<p>

The cameras were monitoring the room where a kimono-dressed Miko named Ayako was praying; Takigawa was also in his monk kimono, standing in the hallway and on guard; John, in his black habit, was in the base with Masako, Naru, and Mai – all three of them monitoring the video feed from the cameras observing Ayako.

Naru had Mai running to the front door of the building at 5:30 in the morning, setting up the cameras and fixing the cords up to 5:50; and helping out with the exorcism preparations at six in the morning; then placing charms on the walls through 6:15. After discussing the plans for the exorcism, they've proceeded with the ritual at 6:30.

Mai watched Ayako pray in the room. The miko was kneeling on the floor Mai swept clean earlier that morning. Ayako held a haraiguishi. She swayed it several times in the air as she prayed - its strips of white paper dancing in the air.

Luckily, Masako decided to stand beside John that moment. Mai slipped closer to Naru, happy that she had the chance to stand beside him and anxious at what could happen in the exorcism.

The plan was to conduct the exorcism in one room and force the spirit to move into that particular room and that particular room only. Naru had her sticking paper charms on the walls and doors of rooms where the spirit shouldn't go to. He and Mai also used charmed shelves and movable blackboards to cover the hallways that the spirit shouldn't use.

Masako, who arrived just a few minutes after Mai did, told them where the spirit was. By the time Mai and Naru were done with the preparations, Masako had confirmed that the spirit was on the move and following the path they made.

Mai remembered the analogy that Naru used the day before to explain the spirit's point of view. It could be confused and basically lost. It probably meant no harm to people. It was just pissed at what happened to it, so it wreaked havoc in the building – almost killing a man.

She also remembered Naru's last question. "Neh, Naru," she whispered, standing close to Naru. He didn't glance at her in acknowledgement. "Are we really going to...like...kick the spirit out?" Mai anxiously asked.

"It shouldn't be here," Naru answered.

"But this method," Mai said. "This…won't hurt the spirit, right?"

"We're calling it a sprit," Naru said. "But it doesn't mean it's just a sprit."

"W-What..?" Mai asked, puzzled at Naru's reply. "But you said..."

Naru kept his eyes on the screen.

"You mean there's still a possibility that this…spirit…is a…demon..?"

Naru stayed silent.

"Wo-Wouldn't that be dangerous for Matsuzaki-san?" Mai asked.

Naru didn't answer.

Mai gasped – anxiety flooding her veins. "Don't tell me you're using Matsuzaki-san as bait!"

John and Masako looked surprised at Mai.

"Takigawa-san," Naru said on the microphone connected to a headset Takigawa wore in the hallway. "The temperature is dropping!"

John, Masako and Mai anxiously turned to watch the screen.

"Got it," they saw Takigawa respond as he stood defensively on the hallway. The infrared feed showed a cloak of blue filling the screen. It also grew in the room where Ayako was praying.

Mai saw Ayako open her eyes, startled at the temperature drop. "Wh-What's happening..?" she shakily said.

"Don't stop!" Naru said to the microphone, directing the message to Ayako. "Finish the ritual!"

Ayako shakily shut her eyes and tried to concentrate on what she was doing.

The video feed displaying Ayako suddenly twisted into zigzagging grey lines. It went back to normal after a second or so…but when Ayako seemed to be reaching the end of the ritual, the grey lines went back long enough to tell them something was terribly wrong.

"Takigawa-san!" Naru yelled urgently on the microphone.

They heard distorted voices in the speakers – screams, yells, crashing sounds…

Naru quickly ran out to the hall. "Brown-san, monitor the feeds!"

Mai ran out to follow him, worried about what had happened. She could hear her heart beating in her ears.

They took a right turn on a hall and noticed gusts of smoke as they sped down the hallway. It came from the exorcism room.

"**MATSUZAKI-SAN! BOU-SAN!**" Mai cried anxiously out, almost slipping on the floor as they turned to walk into the room.

Naru pulled her collar to stop her from going further into the room.

The ceiling was torn down. It was splayed in shreds over the floor with shelves, tables, and chairs from the upper floor. The cameras were also on the floor with a few bolts and parts strewn here and there.

In the middle of the room were Ayako and Takigawa. Takigawa was carrying her in his arms. He seemed to be on his way out when they arrived.

"Hey," Takigawa said, gasping for breath. "Heavy old woman here, coming through!"

Naru pulled Mai to stand beside him in the hall. They watched Takigawa place Ayako on the hallway floor.

She was pale, dusty, and obviously shaken.

"Matsuzaki-san," Mai said, quickly kneeling down beside Ayako to check on her. "How are you feeling?"

"Dizzy, confused, and slightly annoyed at that pervert's insult," Ayako gasped, trying not to show how shaken she was.

Takigawa dusted himself off for a moment. "Just thank me for saving your humongous behind," he said.

Ayako took a deep breath. "I'm still counting your insults," she said.

"What happened?" Naru asked.

"Yeah," Mai said. "The video cut off before you finished praying."

"All I know was it felt icy in the room," Ayako said. "And the ceiling came crashing down on me."

"The temperature drop happened in a snap," Takigawa told Naru. "When you told me to be on guard, I fixed my eyes on the walls and floors of the room, just as you instructed."

Mai looked puzzled at Takigawa. Naru instructed Takigawa to keep watch on the parts of the room?

"Everything seemed like it was shivering," Takigawa continued. "And when I looked up at the ceiling, I saw the sides of it cracking and pouring dusts all over the room. Then it bent down to the floor and I rushed into the room, just as the ceiling crashed."

Mai cringed at the story, realizing how close she was from losing her self-proclaimed parents.

"Don't worry," Ayako said, smiling at her. "We're alright."

Mai nodded.

"And I think it left us a message," Takigawa said, looking seriously at Naru.

Naru walked into the room and looked at the blackboard. Lines slashed its surface.

Mai walked to stand close to Naru and froze.

It seemed to form one giant word.

"Head back to base," Naru said turning to Ayako and Takigawa. Takigawa nodded and carried Ayako back to base.

Naru glanced at Mai. "Go with them." He then vanished into the room to examine the cameras on the floor.

Mai was about to walk with Takigawa when he smiled and winked.

"We're good," he said.

Mai nodded slowly, understanding what he meant. She watched them walk away before she walked into the room.

"N-Naru," Mai said, walking closer to him. "The spirit is-" Mai was cut by the creaking sound of the trembling floor.

Mai froze – her eyes watching and feeling the floor shake beneath her.

Naru cursed and quickly stood up to get Mai out of the room. He succeeded in pulling her out of the room with him. But before they could run back to base, the hallway floor collapsed, pulling them down to the building's hollow foundation.

* * *

><p>Mai couldn't remember what exactly happened, but she knew it involved wood and furniture crashing down on them; her shrieks of terror; and a body pressing itself on top of her.<p>

"-ai! Mai!"

She woke up to the sound of a familiar voice – one she missed and knew so well.

"Mai," it said and it took everything in her drowsy state to resist its call. "Mai, wake up!"

After realizing that she would have to wake up anyway, she opened her eyes. She winced at the faint white light on her face. After winking a few times, she saw a blurry image of a man looking down at her.

She gasped when her vision cleared - the piercing blue eyes shimerring in the faint light.

"N-Naru..?" she asked.

"Are you hurt?" Naru asked – his eyes flooding with relief.


	46. Chapter 46

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. _^ v ^

_"doesn't masako know that mai was "mai davis" from the prequel?" - Oh she does, _**Hikari Reizumi. **^ v ^

_"Did Naru really use Ayako as bait? It seemed like he just wanted to test the  
>spirit's capabilities..." - Good question, <em>**thearistocrat. **_I'll ask Naru that question. _

_I'll keep this short. So here is this week's chapter. Do tell me what you all think about it! _^ v ^

* * *

><p>"I don't think so," Mai said, squinting and trying hard not to look into Naru's eyes.<p>

Naru sighed and leaned away.

Mai sat up and realized where the faint white light came from. "You have a flashlight," she said, amazed at how prepared Naru was. "I didn't know you were a boy scout."

"It's a pen flashlight," Naru said, looking up at the inclined shelf protecting them from the pile of who-knows-what above them. "It was a gift."

Mai frowned and looked away. From who was the gift? Masako? Charlotte? Maybe it was just from his assistant! Right..?

"So...how do we get out of here?" Mai asked, looking up at the shelf. She winced when she realized how close to being crushed-to-death they were. "This is some spirit, huh?" she whispered.

"I've spoken to Takigawa-san while you were out," Naru said. "They're getting help this very minute. They'll be digging us up soon."

Mai smirked at the thought of Takigawa digging them up.

"And this isn't just because of the spirit," Naru said.

Mai looked confused at Naru.

"Remember," he continued. "We're inside a very old abandoned building."

Mai nodded, realizing he had a point. The floors in the building weren't as sturdy as it should be. "...So what happened to Matsuzaki-san," she prompted.

"That's a different matter," Naru said. "We'll have to review the footage when we get back."

Mai nodded.

Naru stretched his legs into the darkness and sighed. "I expected you to be involved in some form of danger," he said. "But not in **this** kind of danger."

Mai raised a brow at him. "It was an accident!" she defended, frowning at him. "It's not like I jumped up and down and caused the floor to crash."

Naru glared at her. "I told you to go back to the base," he said.

Mai looked away, knowing her cheeks were flushed. She wasn't sure if the faint light was faint enough to hide her blush but it wouldn't hurt to be sure Naru didn't notice it.

"If I did what you told me, you'd be stuck in here - **alone**," she said.

"I didn't need any company," Naru said. "And I knew the damage in the room would most likely cause something like this so I was planning to be extremely careful with the floor."

Mai frowned, feeling guilty. He had a point.

"And that wasn't what I meant by being in some kind of danger," Naru continued. "Attending classes in a university with a group of students hellbent on controlling deadly spirits? Didn't you check the university's background first before you enrolled?"

Mai glared at him, her cheeks flushed in a deeper shade of red. "They offered a good scholarship," she reasoned.

"You still could have looked at the university's background information," Naru said, still glaring at her.

Mai knew he had a point again. So she did the one thing she could do when Naru was winning an argument.

Mai stuck out her tongue. "Jerk!"

Naru rolled his eyes. "Childish," he muttered.

Silence filled the cramped space. Mai took Naru's pen flashlight to examine the walls encaging them. They were broken wooden planks, sharp pieces of furniture, dust, and thick killer pieces of wood.

Mai cringed and coughed at the dust filling the air. She suddenly wondered how long they would be stuck there...What could have happened to them if the shelf didn't fall in that angle over them...What would happen if they stayed there for hours...

"He told you they're getting help," she suddenly heard a squeaky voice from behind her say. She turned to look at Naru and saw a coin standing on his raised index finger.

Mai gasped. "W-Was that the...coin?"

Naru just smiled at her. "Ask him," he said.

Mai raised a brow at Naru but did what he said. "Was that you?"

"What do **you** think?" the coin responded.

Mai screamed. "**You're talking!**"

The coin dropped into Naru's hand and disappeared.

Naru sighed. "You scared him," he said.

Mai took Naru's hands and looked for the coin. "Where is it?"

Naru leaned closer to Mai – his face just inches away from her. He flicked his fingers beside her right ear.

The coin was in his hand again. "Here," he said.

Mai looked at the coin and smiled. "Wow!" she looked up at Naru. "You're a magician too? And that was ventriloquism, right?"

Naru just smiled and placed the coin on her hand.

Mai looked at it with amazement all over her face.

Naru gazed at her face for a moment before he leaned away and rested his back on the wall of debris behind him.

Mai closed her hand, grasping the warmth of the coin. She sighed and thought of what Naru did. He cheered him up, didn't he? He probably read her again, just like he always did.

"Do you hate me?" Naru heard Mai almost whisper. He looked at her. He knew what she met by the question.

"I left you," Mai said.

"You did," Naru answered.

Mai closed her eyes. He knew she was trying hard to keep herself from crying.

Mai felt his hand on her head. She opened her eyes, surprised at the gesture. "I don't hate you," she heard him say.

She looked up at Naru and saw a gentle smile on his face. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

She was about to hug Naru when Takigawa's voice echoed from above them. "**We're coming!**"

Naru looked up.

Mai sighed and wiped her eyes.

"Are you two still alive in there?!"

"Yes!" Naru answered. "Mai's conscious!"

"Thank heavens!" Mai heard Ayako's muffled voice echo from above them.

"Okay, relax!" Takigawa yelled again. "We're digging you guys out now!"

They soon heard noises from above them – scrapping, shaking, and rumbling.

"Mai," Naru called, patting the space beside him.

Mai quickly crawled to his side.

Naru pulled his legs and placed them under him, ready to stand the moment he found the chance to do so. He leaned slightly over Mai, protecting her from the dust raining down on them.

"Close your eyes," Naru said, touching the shelf above them.

Mai covered her face, coughing at the dust falling down on them.

"Takigawa-san! I'm pushing the shelf up!"

* * *

><p>"Geez," Ayako said, putting plaster on the bleeding scrape on Mai's leg. "Couldn't you two be more careful? And here I thought this was <strong>my<strong> moment."

They were out on the steps of the front door since Ayako said he needed more light to examine her for wounds. Takigawa and Masako were there, handing her plasters and medicines.

Mai smiled shyly and shrugged her shoulders. "It was an accident."

"It's always an accident when it comes to you," Ayako said, tapping Mai's forehead.

"You're lucky Naru was there," Takigawa said, standing beside Ayako.

Mai looked down at her hands, flushing at the memory of being stuck there with Naru.

She then heard someone snort. She raised her head and saw Masako glaring at her.

Mai winced and looked away. "Um...Where is Naru?"

"He's in the base," Takigawa answered. "He's checking the footage with John."

"Oh yeah," Mai said. "We need to study that footage. Are you going to perform an exorcism today, Bou-san?" she asked looking up at him.

"Naru said I ought to wait for a go signal from him," he said. "I can't blame him. That thing is pretty dangerous. And with a fake Miko offending it with a fake ritual-"

"I'm not a fake!" Ayako growled, glaring at Takigawa.

"Oh yeah? Why didn't you finish the ritual when you sensed the spirit?" Takigawa asked, raising a brow at her.

"It took me by surprise!"

"Oh please! You **know** it was going to be there!"

Mai smiled and sighed. At least Ayako and Bou-san were alright.

"Oh!" Ayako said, turning to Mai. "Naru said you need to go to your class now," she said. "Or you'll be late."

Mai gasped. "Oh! No! I almost forgot! What time is it?"

"It's seven forty," Takigawa answered.

Mai shrieked and quickly stood up. She rushed back to the base and grabbed the sling bag she left on the table next to Naru's things.

"Run," she heard Naru say. "You're late."

"I'm on it!" Mai replied, running out to the door.

John chuckled, watching Mai disappear in the hallway. "I guess that accident did you two some good," he said.

Naru loudly cleared his throat.

John looked at Naru and smiled. "You're blushing."

"Get back to work," he muttered, glaring at the monitor.

John chuckled again.

* * *

><p>"You <strong>WHAT?!<strong>" Sho asked as they walked down the hallway. He and Mai just finished their 2 morning classes. Their next class was scheduled in the afternoon, and it left Mai two and half hours of spare time to help out with Naru.

"Naru and I fell...?" Mai said shyly, repeating what she told Sho. He asked how her morning was and why she was late for their first subject. She ended up telling him about how the floor crashed in the exorcism and how she and Naru were almost buried alive.

"How are you?" Sho asked, pulling her to a corner to check her for wounds. "Did you have wounds? Are you pain? Are you-"

"Calm down, Sho-kun," Mai said, chuckling. "I'm alright!"

"You are **not** alright," Sho hissed, glaring at her. "You almost died!"

"But I **didn't** die," Mai defended. "I'm here! I'm alive! Besides, I was with Naru and the others. They-"

"They are the reason why you almost died!"

"What?!" Mai asked incredulously.

"Can't you see? You wouldn't be in that accident if you just went to class on time!" Sho hissed. "But no. Naru just had to drag you out there, put you in danger, and fool you into thinking he's keeping you safe when he's actually putting you in harm's way!"

"Naru is **not** like that," Mai said, glaring coldly at Sho.

Sho frowned. "Mai, that's your blind faith in the man talking."

"NO," Mai said, clenching her trembling fists. "You want to know what **really **happened? Yes, I went thre because we had stuff we needed to do. Something happened and a floor crashed. I went with him to see what happened. He **ordered** me to go back to a safer place but **I** didn't listen. **I chose** to stay there with him. Then the accident happened. But **he** **made sure** I didn't get smashed to death! He covered me from the falling debris, earning him scrapes and bruises on his back that I watched Matsuzaki-san put bandage and medicine on!"

Sho froze. Mai's brown eyes were glazed with tears.

Was it from the memory of being buried alive? Was it guilt at seeing what Naru got from saving her? Was it pain at seeing Naru's pain?

Mai shook her head and looked away. "I have to go," she said before walking out of the building.

Sho watched her. Was she really that in love with Naru that she would close her eyes at the dangers of being with him?

* * *

><p>"I'm back!" Mai called as she walked into the base. Naru was on his seat – tapping the computer keyboard. John, Masako, Takigawa and Ayako were nowhere to be found.<p>

"Hey," she said, looking around. "Where are they?"

"Having lunch," Naru said. "Go have yours."

Mai frowned. "You're not eating lunch?"

"I need to finish something," Naru answered.

"I'll help you," she said, putting her bag down on the table.

"You've had enough danger for one day."

Mai stared incredulously at Naru. "Not you too!"

Naru glanced at her. She was glaring at him.

"Do you want to know why I'm taking psychology?" Mai began. "It's because it's the closest thing to parapsychology that I could take! You want to know why I'm studying in this school? It's because they offered the only scholarship in psychology that I could afford! I don't just come here and work for you because you're forcing me to. I also come here because I **want** to be here! You think I don't know the danger of being here? Have you forgotten about how I was hospitalized back in England because of my demon-possessed employer? That's no match to what just happened to us this morning!"

Naru just watched her huff. He watched her flushed cheeks, her trembling shoulders, her tear-glazed eyes... "Are you done?"

Mai took several deep breaths and nodded.

"Go get yourself something to eat," Naru said.

"But I-"

"Buy me a sandwich, or something," Naru said turning back to the monitor.

Mai froze.

Naru kept on typing on the keyboard.

He was done with the conversation.

Mai smiled and pulled her purse out of her sling bag. "I'll be back soon!" she said before she trotted out to the door.

Naru sighed. "I'm being stupid," he typed on the chat pane.

"It's justified," Lin replied.

* * *

><p>"So you didn't perform any exorcism?" Mai asked Takigawa.<p>

They were all in the base, seated in a semi-circle around her and Naru. Naru was still busy biting on the sandwich Mai bought him so Mai started a small chit chat with the others.

"Nope," Takigawa answered. "With the floor ruined and the room officially inaccessible, we had to change the plan."

Ayako was busy smirking at Mai, who was seated close to Naru – her shoulders brushing his back. Naru was still busy eating and looking at his mysterious folder.

Mai nodded. "So what are we going to do now?"

"Shibuya-san said he'll discuss it after lunch," John answered.

Mai turned to look at Naru. "Well, he's still eating," she said.

"Where **did **he get that sandwich?" Ayako asked, smirking at Mai. "I thought he wasn't in the mood for lunch. That's why he told Masako here, not to buy him food."

Masako was frowning.

Takigawa chuckled.

Mai looked away, blushing. "Oh...well..."

"Takigawa-san," Naru cut in, his blue eyes still fixed at the folders. "Be ready to perform an exorcism."

"Eh? Where?"

"Hallway," Naru answered. "Mai, go to your class."

Mai frowned. "I still have fifty-five minutes!"

"You won't make it on time for your next class if you stay for the exorcism," Naru said, standing up and sipping the cup of tea Mai prepared for him.

"I can skip class," Mai muttered.

"That's exactly why you're not getting any smarter," Naru countered.

Mai scowled. "Jerk," she muttered, glaring at him.

Takigawa and Ayako snickered. John smiled.

"Besides, you're working here so you can pay for the medical expenses of my assistant," Naru continued. "Not so you can skip class."

"Naru's right," Takigawa said. "Go to your class. Education is important."

"Says someone who chose to be in a band," Ayako muttered.

Takigawa glared at Ayako. "Putting your education first will keep you from being the old hag Ayako is, Jou-chan."

Mai watched Ayako smack Takigawa's head with her purse. She chuckled and sighed. "Fine," she said, standing up. "But send me a message if you need anything." She grabbed her sling bag and walked out to the hallway.

"Mai!" she heard Naru call.

"Yes?" Mai said walking to the door.

"Your class this afternoon is in the psychology building?" Naru asked, looking at her.

"Yup," Mai answered. She then remembered what Naru told her about the club. "Don't worry. Sho-kun meets me in the pathway so I won't be alone on the way. "

"You're telling Naru some other guy is walking you to class?" Ayako said. "Aren't you pushing Naru's buttons too far?"

Mai frowned. "What do you mean?"

"She means you're telling Naru you're cheating on him," Takigawa said, chuckling.

"Wh-What?!" Mai asked – her face suddenly in a shade of red. "I-**I AM NOT**!"

"I agree with Taniyama-san," Masako said, standing up from her seat.

Mai suddenly felt thankful that Masako was there. Maybe she wasn't that bad after all.

"Taniyama-san and Shibuya-san are not a couple," Masako said, walking to stand close to Naru. She even held his arm.

Mai gasped. She glared coldly at Masako. "Why you-" she hissed, ready to pounce on Masako.

Takigawa quickly held her back from attacking the medium. "Go to class, Jou-chan," he said smiling at her.

Mai glared up at him. "**FINE!** I'll make sure Sho-kun and I take our time in front of the psychology building! We'll even say 'hi' to the parapsychology club for you!" she turned away and marched out the door.

Takigawa chuckled. "She **so** hates you, Naru."

Naru went back to sipping his tea. "Takigawa-san," he said. "Let's pack up."

* * *

><p>Mai and Sho walked quietly in front of the psychology building.<p>

It was still early so they decided to stay outside a bit longer. Mai was also serious about saying 'hi' to the parapsychology club. Or at least, just staying near them...or not so near them...

They took a seat in one of the benches. Mai could see the parapsychology members a few paces away. She could hear them murmuring to one another.

"Hey," she heard Sho say.

Mai looked at him.

Sho scratched his head. He could barely look at her. "About earlier...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have...acted like that."

Mai smiled. "It's okay," she said. "I shouldn't have acted that way too."

Sho looked shyly at her. "So...we're friends again?"

Mai chucked. "Did we even stop being friends?"

Sho laughed. "You have a point there," he said. "So...How is the investigation going?"

"Well," Mai said sighing. "Bou-san should be performing an exorcism this afternoon."

"Wow," Sho said. "I haven't seen a Buddhist exorcism before."

"Me too," Mai said. "I really want to see one! But Naru said I shouldn't skip class."

Sho chuckled. "He has a point there."

Mai sighed. "I know," she said. "I just hate it when he does."

Mai suddenly felt her phone vibrate. She fished it out of her pocket. "Oh!" she said, amazed at the name on the phone screen. "It's Bou-san." She unlocked her phone and opened the text message.

"What is it about?" Sho asked.

"Wow!" Mai said. "Bou-san said the exorcism was a success. Masako confirmed that the spirit isn't there anymore."

"Really?"

"Yeah! He said Naru's spoken to the head master," Mai said. "They'll start the demolition tomorrow morning."

"Whoah! I guess Bou-san's really that strong, huh?" Sho asked.

Mai nodded. She suddenly felt like she was being...watched.


	47. Chapter 47

^ v ^_ I am __**loving**__ the theories on what's happening in the story!_

_Thank you all so much for reading, reviewing, and interacting with the twists and turns of this story. That's actually what I wanted for this story – to be something you don't just read. _

_Anyway, just a friendly note here, I know there have been questions in the reviews that I haven't answered in ANs. Please don't think I was just ignoring you or your questions, or that I didn't read them and if I did, I didn't find them worth answering. That's really not the case _* v *

_I don't answer those questions in ANs because I feel like if I do, I'll end up telling all of you what would happen next in the story and there wouldn't be a point in uploading the next chapters. _

_But this doesn't mean that I don't want you to ask those kinds of questions. They're __**reall**__**y** good questions and they actually make me smile when I read them because they tell me that you're all seeing what I've been trying to show you. _* v *

_Oh and I'm not going to pinpoint questions from the reviews that I'll be answering today, simply because the answers to most of them are in the future chapters. DAMN you're all good at this. _^ v ^

_SHO REALLY HAS A FAN'S CLUB NOW! _^ v ^_ GO SHO-KUN!_

_Anyway, terribly sorry for the late update. I'm busy again. Let's hope I upload the next chapter on time. If I don't, I'll most likely update the story the week following next week. _* v *

_Here's this week's chapter. Do tell me what you all think about it! _^ v *

* * *

><p>Naru watched Mai and Sho walk away from the shade and head toward the class building.<p>

He was standing under a tree shade, watching Mai and Sho converse while Takigawa, standing beside him, sent the message to Mai's mobile phone.

"You do know this is qualified as stalking, right?" Takigawa said, smirking at Naru.

Naru ignored him. He lingered for a moment – his blue eyes gazing at the students still gathering in the grounds before turning away from the scene. "Let's go."

Takigawa snickered. "You're just jealous," he said.

"Stop talking nonsense," Naru replied, walking away from Takigawa.

* * *

><p>"So what are you going to do now?" Sho asked, walking with Mai down the hallway. Their last class just finished and most of their classmates were looking forward to going home.<p>

"Naru might still need some help," Mai said, hoping Naru **did** need her help in some way. She was happy that the case was closed. But she was sad that it might mean the end of her job in SPR.

She really liked doing investigations and guessing what was going on in the building. And seeing her friends perform exorcism! She had to admit working for the almighty jerk had its benefits.

"It's dark now," Sho said, looking out at the night sky beyond the window of the hallway. "I'll walk you to the building."

"No, I'm okay," Mai said, smiling at Sho. "Takumi-kun will be fetching me later anyway."

"Are you sure?" Sho asked, obviously worried for Mai. "It really won't be much of a bother to me, you know."

Mai chuckled. "I can take care of myself. Besides, Bou-san and Matsuzaki-san are there."

Sho sighed. "Fine," he said. "But I'll walk with you to the building. I'll leave when you've met them inside."

Mai rolled her eyes. "Nothing's going to happen to me, Sho-kun."

"Yeah," Sho said bitterly. "That's why you didn't get buried alive this morning."

Mai sighed. "Fine," she said. "Walk with me to the building."

* * *

><p>Sho smiled.<p>

It was indeed dark on the way to the building. Not many students used the path that crossed the structure due to the haunting rumours in the place so Sho and Mai had the road to themselves.

"They're still here," Mai said, spotting a warm glow coming from the building.

"I thought you use a generator in the building," Sho said, eyeing the glow from the windows warily. He was sure the glow didn't come from a glowing light bulb. It was too soft to look like it was from any electric light source. "You had cameras set up inside after all."

"Maybe they've turned the power off," Mai said smiling at Sho. "I bet they're just fixing some wiring. Thanks for walking with me, Sho-kun."

Sho frowned. "There is no way I'm going to let you inside that building alone."

"I'm not alone," Mai said, chuckling and slapping Sho's shoulder. "I told you. Naru and the others are still there. I bet they still need my help. Don't worry."

Sho shook his head. "What if that's not them?"

"Who else would it be? You saw the message. They've exorcised the spirit."

Sho sighed. "I still don't feel good about this," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Mai frowned. "Can you at least trust me on this?"

Sho stared at her for a moment and rolled his eyes. "Fine," he said. "Call me when you've found them inside the building."

Mai smiled. "That sounds ridiculous but alright," she said. "I'll call you. Now run along!"

Sho sighed and smiled back at her. He watched her walk into the building.

* * *

><p>In truth however, Mai did <strong>not<strong> like the feeling of walking inside the building on her own. Somehow the warm glow coming from somewhere in the ground floor of the building didn't feel reassuring.

But taking Sho inside with her would put him in danger, if there was any, and she would **not** let that happen. So she mustered up all her courage and tried her best to dissuade him from following her inside.

Mai stepped into the squeaky wooden floorboards of the ground floor. The light was coming from further into the building.

Mai looked back and saw Sho still on the road, watching her.

That was **not** good.

She smiled at him and waved her hand to assure him everything was fine. She turned away and swallowed loudly.

There weren't any wires scattered anywhere. Perhaps Sho was right. Naru and the others had fixed everything that afternoon.

And they chose not to say goodbye to her?

Mai walked forward, following the flickering glow. She gasped and jolted when the mobile phone in her pocket vibrated.

"Sho-kun!" she said, answering the phone call. "I'm alright."

"Really? You sound more like you're not. I'm coming in."

"No, no, I-" Mai looked up and noticed several silhouettes at the end of the hall – people! "I found them! It's okay, Sho-kun. They're here."

"You're sure?"

"Yes!" Mai said, sighing in relief. Her nerves were still on edge, but the silhouettes gave her hope.

"Okay. Call me when you get home."

"Sure!" Mai ended the call and slipped her phone back into her pocket. She took a deep breath and walked forward with a smile on her face.

Mai quickened her pace, the silhouettes growing bigger with every step she took.

They seemed to be busy with something in one of the rooms.

Mai passed by the base, and found it dark and empty.

That was odd. Maybe Naru decided to fix the wiring in a different room? But that didn't make any sense!

Mai started to feel uneasy. She felt chills creep up her spine with every step she took. The scent of mold and something rotting touched her nose, and it took everything inside her to keep herself from running out to the front door.

Mai reached the open door of the only lit room. She recognized it as the room where she and John noticed what seemed like remains of a circle used in a ritual.

Why would Naru decide to set up equipments there? Maybe it's because it served as the spirit's door into the building?

Mai took a deep breath and looked into the room. She was about to greet everyone when she noticed that everyone in the room didn't look like Naru, Bou-san, Matsuzaki-san, John or Masako.

In fact, inside the room was a group of students huddled in a circle. They had a number of candles lit up on the floor. On their feet were drops of scarlet liquid...

Mai gasp, shock, anxiety, and fright hitting her chest. She was about to run away when she felt a hand cover her mouth – an arm pull her away from the room...a force pull her into the darkness.

* * *

><p>Mai screamed. She screamed and thrashed but the force pinning her down on the dusty floor was too strong for her, and the sturdy hand covering her mouth muffled her shrieks. Her throat was throbbing. Tears were peeping from her tightly shut eyes.<p>

She was dying. Sho was right. She shouldn't have gone inside the building. She should have taken him with her at least. But no. She just had to be **that **stubborn!

"Mai!" she heard someone hiss near her left ear. "Jou-chan, snap out of it!"

Mai froze, realizing that the voice sounded familiar.

The man pinning her down sighed in relief. He softened his hold on her and patted her head. "You idiot," he whispered. "You really didn't get the hint in that message, did you?"

Mai slowly opened her eyes. Everything was still dark, but the faint light and her slowly adjusting eye sight allowed her to see a face in the shadow hovering over her.

"B-Bou-san?" she whispered, still rattled at the encounter.

Takigawa chuckled. "Of course," he answered. "Now, get up." He leaned away from him and helped Mai stand.

When she was up, she noticed several other people in the dark room they were in.

"Are you feeling better?" That was Ayako whispering. She stood close to Takigawa.

"Y-yes," Mai answered. "I think so."

Ayako sighed. "You should have just sent her another message – a clearer one," she hissed, nudging Takigawa. "That way she wouldn't be here!"

"This is Mai we're talking about," Takigawa reasoned. "If she knew what was going on, she would **definitely** go here. Let's just thank Buddha she did what we anticipated her to do."

"W-What are you talking about?" Mai asked. "What's going on?"

"Hush!" Ayako whispered. She took Mai's hand and led her across the room.

"Mai-chan!" a shadow greeted as he walked toward Mai. Something glinted on his face... eyeglass frames..?

"Yasuhara!" Mai gasped.

Yasuhara chuckled. "Let's save the excitement for later," he whispered. "You've angered the boss enough for the day."

"Angered the boss?" Mai asked, looking confused at Yasuhara.

"Oh," Yasuhara whispered. "You probably didn't realize it, but he was the one who pulled you out of the hallway."

"And he was the one you elbowed in the rib before Bou-san pinned you down on the floor," Ayako whispered, snickering with Takigawa.

Mai gasped, covering her lips with her hands. "I-I...I **elbowed **him?!"

Yasuhara chuckled. "Yes," he said. "He's still nursing it with his hand right now." Yasuhara nodded to the shadows behind him – the ones huddled near the door where the dim light was coming from.

There seemed to be six shadows by the door. Mai could make out John and Masako. They were standing beside each other and looking at the tiny opening of the closed door. John seemed to be dressed with his black soutane. He held a book close to his chest – a bible, no doubt. Masako was in, as usual, a kimono.

The closest shadow to the door crack was Naru, who was indeed rubbing a part of his abdomen while he looked out at the hallway. Behind him was a tall man who Mai recognized was his assistant.

Naru's assistant had a wooded crutch under his arm. Beside him was a pink-haired woman, looking excitedly at whatever they were watching. Behind the woman was a young man who looked like a college student. He had his head bowed – his black hair fringe covering his face. He seemed to be muttering something. He was the only one in the group who wasn't watching whatever was outside.

"What's happening?" Mai whispered.

"Go and see," Yasuhara said, leading her to Naru.

Mai stiffly approached her boss whose blue eyes seemed icily focused on the hallway. "N-Naru," she whispered.

"Shh," he replied, touching her lips with his index finger.

Mai swallowed – her heart pounding fast and loud against her chest. She uneasily tried to look away.

"Hi!" whispered the pink-haired woman beside Naru's assistant.

Mai looked up at her and tried to smile.

She looked so excited and cheerful. And she looked like she had known Mai for a long time.

"Taniyama Mai, right?" the woman asked. "I'm Mori Madoka. You can call me Madoka!" she said, bowing and shaking Mai's hand.

"N-Nice to meet you," Mai whispered, smiling stiffly at her. So the woman had heard about her. Hopefully Madoka heard good things about her. By her distance from Naru's assistant though, Mai thought Madoka was…related to the assistant.

So she must have heard about Mai from the assistant and… oh dear.

Mai looked up at the towering man, Naru's **real** assistant. She still felt guilty at what happened to him.

The man glanced at her for a moment. His dark eyes seemed to pierce through Mai's skin.

Mai winced. He must still hate her for what she did.

The man looked back at the hallway. "It's ready," he said in a low voice.

"Brown-san," Naru said, still looking out at the hallway.

John nodded and began to pray. "In the name of the father, the son and the holy spirit…"

Mai turned around, surprised at how loud John's voice sounded. It was then that she realized what Masako was doing beside him.

She was holding a microphone.

John prayed over the microphone – his words echoing in every hall and room in the building.

"Takigawa-san!" Naru said.

Takigawa started praying. Matsuzaki-san held the microphone for him. His words bounced off the walls, creating a symphony of words with John's prayer.

Deafening screams filled the hallway.

Naru quickly slid the room door open, showing Mai what they were observing.

Across the room they were in was the room where Mai saw the group of students huddled in a circle. The candles in the room were the source of the dim light that was helping Mai see.

Mai gasped at the shrieking students. Their faces twisted with hatred and agony. They were speaking in languages Mai could barely understand. But she could make out some of the words…

A lot of them were curses… Threats… Cries of help…

Mai stepped out of the room, hooked at the high-pitched voice filling her ears. It was a cry from a child… girls.

And sure enough, inside the room were two girls cringing on the floor as if they were stabbed in their abdomens.

"**HELP!**" She had seen them before… The blonde one was the girl who told her about the parapsychology club. "**PLEASE!**" The one with long black hair was the one she saw when Naru met the club. "**HELP!**"

Mai felt chills creep up her spine. She watched tears stream down the girl's cheeks. "Stop it!" she shouted.

The echoing prayers continued, their words growing louder. The shrieks grew as loud. Blood began to stain the weeping girls' dresses.

"**NARU STOP IT!**" Mai cried, pulling Naru's shirt. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. "You're hurting them! Please! **STOP IT!**"

Naru ignored her. He kept his eyes on the cowering students.

"**NARU!**"

"Mai!" Masako shouted.

Mai looked at her.

Masako just shook her head.

Mai stared shocked at her. Masako would just let Naru **kill** those girls? Was that how far she would go to be in his favour?

Mai clenched her fists and glared at Masako.

Masako's eyes went wide. "**NO!** Mai, please!"

But Mai turned away and ran into the lit room. She knelt down over the bleeding children and reached out her hand to help them.

"**GET OUT OF THERE!**" she heard Naru's voice echo in the noise.

Mai watched the face of the ebony-haired girl look up at her – her face twisted in a menacing smile.

"**MAI!**"

Everything went black.

* * *

><p>Water flooded Mai's nose, clogged her throat…flooded her lungs. She choked, feeling her chest twisting painfully from the icy fluid caging her skin.<p>

She felt her head float up, air touch her face and fill her nose. She gasped and desperately tried to breathe air. She forced her eyes to open and saw herself battling violent waves. Beyond the icy water was a faint image of land – a shore. She pulled her arms out of the water, waving them up to beg for help.

She screamed. She knew she did because her throat stretched and hurt with the effort to make it loud enough to be heard. But the waters swallowed the sound. It covered her mouth, muffled her voice…drowned her hope of surving.

Mai sunk into the water again. She held her breath. She thrashed and kicked, and tried to push herself up above the water to breathe. But the water had pulled her deeper and her lungs quickly began to ache for air.

Fear gripped her senses. Pain surged through her veins. Her chest squeezed harder, screaming for help.

Mai opened her mouth and inhaled. But instead of air, water flooded her nose. It burned her nasal cavity, blocked her throat… She choked again. It was worse. She flailed her arms, as if the water would spare her life if she endured the pain… as if a rope would magically appear in the sea to save her if she tried to stay alive…

She felt her chest freeze...pain twist her choking throat…

"-ai!"

Mai gasped. She found herself on the floor – her vision blurred and dim. A force pulled her up, her face hitting something solid and warm and…

A countinuous thumping sound touched her ears. She felt fingers comb her hair. A familiar scent filled her nose.

"N-aru," she breathed.

"Shh," she heard him whisper against her hair. "It's okay. You're safe."

Mai took a deep breath, relieved that air filled her lungs.

"You never listen," she heard Masako say beside her. It was then that she realized Masako was kneeling beside her. And Naru was kneeling on the floor.

And they were in the old building!

Mai jolted, leaning frantically away from Naru as deafening screams filled her ears. "The girls!" she cried, turning around to look at the room where the girls were.

Takigawa and John were inside. John was splashing holy water on the squirming students and Takigawa was slashing dancing transluscent smoke in the air. Naru's assistant was on the door, whistling.

"They need to be purified," Masako said.

Mai turned to look at her.

"Take care of her," Naru muttered as he stood up.

"Naru-" Masako said, reaching out her hand to stop him.

"Don't worry," Madoka said, standing beside them. She winked. "He's not going to try anything stupid with me around."

Mai watched Madoka smile and suddenly felt left out. Madoka and Masako knew each other. Maybe Masako **was** Naru's girlfriend, and Takigawa was just teasing her when he said he still wasn't with anyone.

Masako smiled and nodded. "Come, Mai," she said, standing up.

Mai stood up with her.

They looked at the room again and found Ayako pulling unconscious girls and boys out the door. Madoka started to help her.

Mai stared confused at what was happening. She took a closer look at what John was doing. Naru, Yasuhara and Takigawa were inside the room. They were pinning one of the violently thrashing students – a dark-haired girl – on the floor in front of John. The priest was somewhat blessing the screaming students' forehead with oil.

After a minute or so of chanting the student went limp and unconscious. Yasuhara and Takigawa handed the girl over to Ayako, who pulled the girl out of the room.

The three then looked at the three remaining thrashing students in the corner of the room.

It was then that Mai noticed a dagger-like tool stabbed on the floor. She remembered Takigawa holding it just minutes ago.

"Which one?" Takigawa asked, huffing.

Naru stepped closer to the thrashing shrieking students, who were already baring their teeth on them and cursing them through several unknown languages. "You," he hissed, opening his hand in front of him. The arm of one of the students snapped forward – a boy's.

Naru quickly gripped the boy's wrist. Takigawa and Yasuhara helped him pull the boy away from the corner. John quickly wrapped laced a silver rosary over the boy's neck.

Mai gasped as the smoke rose from the skin that the cross of the rosary touched.

Naru, Yasuhara and Takigawa quickly pinned the screaming boy down. John started to pray. He splashed holy water on the boy several times – smoke rising up from the skin that the water touched. At one point, Yasuhara forced the boy's mouth open and John placed a round, paper-like thing inside the boy's mouth. After a few more moments of praying, the boy convulsed and fell unconscious.

"Ayako," Takigawa said, taking the boy to Ayako.

Ayako quickly checked the boy for injuries.

Takigawa quickly went back to Naru, who was already pulling a girl from the corner of the room.

Mai froze, suddenly realizing what was going on. "Those students…"

"Are possessed, yes," Masako said.

Mai swallowed, remembering the dead looks on the faces of the students when she and Naru spoke with them.

"H-How…"

"Naru said the students knew who he was even when he didn't introduce himself," Masako said. "He also said you noticed it."

Mai nodded. She remembered that. They called Naru "doctor." But Naru hadn't introduced them to him yet. Sure, Dr. Oliver Davis was famous but not many people knew what he looked like. Takigawa, who was a die-hard fan of Dr. Davis, didn't even know he was rubbing elbows with his hero until Naru's secret was out.

"Demons are said to have the ability to read minds," Masako said. "They use it to control people and play with priests who dare to exorcise them."

Mai looked shocked at Masako. "So these are really demons?"

Masako shook her head. "The club summoned so many spirits and locked them in one place, the spirits morphed into something else. The strong demons possessing the students were already exorcised earlier, when you were still unconscious. The ones they're pulling out of the students now are weaker ones and other kinds of spirits."

Mai looked at the students Madoka and Ayako were treating on the floor. Some of them were already awake. Those who were conscious were crying – obviously shaken at what happened to them and at what was still happening in the room.

"I thought those things were harmless," said a voice behind Mai. Mai turned to look at it and saw the young man with the long hair fringe. He was wiping tears from his eyes. "We've done it so many times without anything happening, we all thought it was all nonsense. Then I tried it hoping I could talk to my brother…"

Mai froze. "You're… Maeda Yuuta, aren't you?"

The young man nodded. "I didn't want this to happen," he said, sobbing.

Mai looked sadly at Yuuta. She walked toward him. "You didn't know this would happen."

Yuuta shook his head. "It's still my fault," he said. "I wanted to see my twin brother. I thought these things would help me. I didn any ritual I found in the internet, in books, in heresays, in myths… I even tried to summon demons and make deals with them. Nothing happened! I didn't see any spirit after the rituals. I thought everything was fine. Then my friends started to act weird. I took them with me in some of the rituals, telling them it was to prove everyone that parapsychology was more powerful that empirical science. And days later, they all acted…different. They started talking about how great it was to kill their pet cats and dogs… how great it was to hurt people… how non-members of the club were worthless…"

Mai patted Yuuta's back.

Yuuta wiped his eyes. "I tried to stop them," he said. "I told them it wasn't what I wanted to do. But they threatened to hurt me. And when I didn't listen, they tried to kill my Okaa-san."

Mai's eyes went wide with shock. "Tried to kill her..?"

Yuuta nodded. "They made my Okaa-san jump off a window," he said. "She broke her leg. But she almost died! When we spoke to her, she said her body moved on its own, all of a sudden. She watched herself jump off the window."

Mai swallowed.

"My friends visited me in the hospital, telling me what happened to my Okaa-san was a warning," Yuuta continued. "So I told my parents I was being bullied in school. I stopped attending the university and convinced them to transfer me to another school. We moved out to another place."

"Is that what happened to your other friends too?" Mai asked.

Yuuta smirked. "No," he said. "I was lucky. Either their pets became animal sacrifices, or they had their bones broken in freak accidents."

Mai sighed. Sure it was Yuuta's fault. But did he and his friends deserve the consequence?

"When Osamu-san told me about what's happened to the club," Yuuta continued. "I couldn't believe it."

Mai froze. "Yasuhara went to your house?"

"Yes," Yuuta said, looking at Mai. "He persuaded me to come here and make things right. He said you and your friends can help me save my friends."

Mai smiled. So Yasuhara was working with them the whole time. Could he be the one Naru called when he dialled his mobile phone?

"You did the right thing," Masako said. "We wouldn't be able to fix all of this without your help."

Yuuta sighed and scratched his head. "I made this mess in the first place."

"Let's not make another mess like this next time then, okay?" Mai said.

Yuuta smiled and nodded at her. "Absolutely," he said. "I've had enough of spirits and magic."

"I only have two shikis left," Mai heard Naru's assistant say.

"We're on it," Naru answered, huffing.

Mai gasped, remembering how Naru pulled the boy out of the the corner of the room. "Naru!" Mai said running to the door.

Naru's assistant pulled her back, keeping her from walking into room.

"No! Please! Let me go!" Mai said, fear and anxiety lacing her brown eyes.

Lin froze.

"Stay back!" Takigawa yelled as the three of them pinned the remaining thrashing, growling student down.

Mai turned to look at them. Naru was sweating. And she was sure he wasn't feeling well anymore. "**Naru!**"

Lin whistled. He let Mai into the room.

She quickly knelt down beside Naru, pinning the student down.

"Get away!" Naru scolded.

"**You** get away!" Mai scolded back. "Get some rest!"

Naru glared at her. But his heavy breathing made his glare weak.

"Go and tell Maeda-san what to do," Mai suddenly heard Naru's assistant beside her.

The assistant knelt down and helped them pin the student down. "I can handle this."

Naru grunted. He stared at him for a moment before he stood up and walked out of the room.

"Follow him," Mai heard the assistant say. She looked at him, wondering if he was talking to her.

He spared him a glance. "Make sure he rests."

Mai froze. It took her a moment to realize what the assistant told her. She nodded stiffly. "You're sure you three can handle this?"

Yasuhara chuckled, sweat sliding down his forehead. "Are you kidding? We have super strength! Go and help Shibuya-san. He needs it more."

Mai sighed and stood up. She ran outside and saw Naru telling Yuuta to call the kids' parents. Yuuta did what he was told.

"Do you still feel anything here?" she heard Naru ask Masako as she approached him.

"No, not really," Masako answered. "The one inside the room is the only spirit remaining."

Naru nodded. "Help Madoka and Matsuzaki-san with the students."

Masako nodded and quickly helped Madoka calm down a crying girl.

Mai sighed and stood beside Naru. "Sit down," she said.

"Later," he answered.

Mai frowned. "You need it."

Naru turned to look at the room again. John was already putting oil on the student's forehead.

Mai counted the students in the building and smiled. Thirteen students – they saved thirteen students that night. She remembered seeing most of them in school.

Naru watched the last student go limp. Takigawa, Yasuhara and John sighed in relief.

"We're finished," Lin called out.

"The place is clean," Masako said.

"Neh, Naru," he heard Mai mutter behind him. He turned around and looked at her.

Mai was frowning at the students on the floor. She looked up at him. "Those two girls who were bleeding earlier," she said.

Naru sighed.

"They were sprits," Masako said, looking up at Mai.

"W-What..?" Mai asked, shocked and confused at what Masako said.

Masako smiled. "You saw something when you touched her, didn't you?"

Mai froze. She remembered being drowned. She gasped.

"One of the things Maeda-san and his friends did was summoning spirits using human remains," Naru said.

Mai looked up at him.

"They did rituals involving a lock of hair from a deceased cousin of one of his friends, and a lock of hair from an antique English doll," Naru continued.

"Wait! I get how the hair of a deceased cousin can summon a spirit, but hair from an antique doll?" Mai said, raising a brow at Naru.

"Antique English dolls used human hair as wigs," Naru explained.

Mai froze. She cringed at the thought of a doll walking around with human hair. "W-Why… **WHY WOULD PEOPLE PUT HUMAN HAIR IN DOLLS?!**" she said, her cheeks read and her limbs trembling at the the thought of a brown-haired porcelain doll smiling at her and saying "I'm wearing your hair."

Madoka chuckled. "You're very funny, Taniyama-chan!"

Naru ignored her and instead watched Takigawa, Yasuhara, John and Lin sit down on the hallway. "Mai," he finally said.

"Yes?" Mai said, shaking her head to erase the image of the smiling doll from her thoughts.

"Tea."


	48. Chapter 48

_Thank you all so much for still reading this. Don't worry, the end is near. _^ v ^

_I'm still very busy this week. And yes, I'm re-uploading this annoying chapter. Like I've said yesterday, I've been busy - still juggling several tasks as I type this - so I wasn't able to clean up the chapter thoroughly (like the other chapters). My apologies for the missing words and whatnots. I really wanted to clean it up, but I thought giving all of you the chapter was better than letting you wait for it until next week, so I uploaded it. _

_I'm still stressed out with my other commitments, and when I am I tend to do things out of whim, without further thought. This re-upload I'm afraid is one of them. I've been talking myself out of doing this but as you can see, I faild. So if this causes you inconveniences, sorry! _

_I didn't answer any of the questions or reviews for the previous chapter because basically, I didn't see any comment or question that could be answered in an A/N. This chapter is actually supposed to tie a few knots in the story, and answer the rest of the questions unanswered in the previous chapters (mainly about where people are, what people have been doing, what's been said, etc). So yeah, it's annoying. But hey, I really meant that statement above saying this story is ending soon. And this chapter lays the foundations for the upcoming last chapter. _

_If you still have other questions about the story (other than how Naru and Mai are going to end up or if they are ever ending up together), do tell me about them so I can answer or explain them in the next chapters. All your questions really help me keep track of things in the story (it's been annoyingly long I myself tend to get lost in it myself! LOL). _

_Here again is this week's chapter (with changes and other information left out in its previously uploaded version). I don't have another pair of eyes browsing through the chapter so please forgive the remaining text and grammar errors. _

* * *

><p>Sho stood anxiously in front of the abandoned school building, trying to keep himself composed at the sudden silence in the area.<p>

He was standing there when bone-chilling screams emanated from the building – high-pitched agonized screams from a group of people who apparently was inside the building. He heard Mai's screams in the symphony of shrieks. She was yelling something that sounded like, 'stop' and it put him on edge.

Sho's first thought was that Mai was in danger. So when he sprinted to the door and Takumi stopped him, he was baffled.

Sho glanced at Takumi who was just a few steps away from him.

Takumi was yawning, stretching his arms up as he leaned against the hood of his sleek silver car.

Apparently Takumi had been there all along knowing something about what had been going on in the building. But the guy didn't talk Mai out of walking into the mess.

Takumi felt Sho's annoyed stare and chuckled. "Relax," he said.

"How can I relax?!" Sho spat. "Mai is there! She could be in danger! Actually, scratch that. How can **you** relax?! I thought you care about her? Heck! I even thought you were her boyfriend! I guess it does make sense that she's not with you."

"Aw," Takumi said, smirking. "Is that supposed to hurt me? I told you Naru and the others are in there too, no doubt with her. You have nothing to worry about."

"NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT?! **DIDN'T YOU HEAR THOSE SCREAMS?!**"

Takumi rolled his eyes. "You have a lot to learn, kid," he said.

Sho frowned and stepped closer to Sho – his eyes sending the iciest glare he could muster.

Takumi just laughed. "I thought Naru already told you who he was."

Sho stiffened. He stepped back, blood filling his cheeks and puzzlement reflecting in his eyes. "Y-you mean... It's true?"

Takumi stared at him for a moment before he burst into laughter. "You really thought the guy was just trying to pull your leg?" He laughed again, leaning forward and holding his stomach.

Sho scowled at him.

"You're worse than me," Takumi said after calming himself. "Then again, you're in love with Mai. I guess that's a valid excuse."

Sho raised a brow at him. "You're not in love with Mai-chan?"

"Oh I am," Takumi said, smiling at him. "I just...understand something you clearly haven't."

Sho folded his arms over his chest. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Takumi smirked. "Tell me first," he said. "...what Naru told you when you first met him. I know you know what I mean by that so just tell me."

Sho eyed Takumi wearily.

"Trust me," he said. "It will all make sense if you do."

Sho looked away.

Did he want to make sense of all the things he had been hearing from Naru and Bou-san since they entered the picture?

No. Not really.

Sho looked at Takumi.

He remembered that first day he met Naru. He wanted to protect Mai, so he didn't agree to let Naru speak privately with Mai.

"Who would you be?" he recalled asking Naru.

"Uh...Sho-kun," he remembered hearing Mai say. "I-it's okay, really. I can-"

"I'm not leaving you," he said, looking at Mai.

Naru walked closer to the them. "I would like to speak with Taniyama-san in private."

Sho looked at him. "I'm her friend. You want to tell her something? You have to go through me."

"Sho-kun-"

"Really..?"

Sho remembered how he glared at Naru.

Naru leaned his head closer to Sho-kun, his lips whispering something to his ear...

"I'm her husband."

Sho winced and looked away from Takumi. "He said, he was Mai-chan's husband."

Takumi burst into laughter. "It stunned you, didn't it?"

Sho looked at Takumi, frowning.

"It always works," Takumi said. "You were trying to get on his way, weren't you?"

Sho glared at Takumi. "It's not true, is it?"

Takumi snickered. "Legally, no," he said. "It's not true."

Sho sighed. But then.,. Takumi was smirking. "But..?" he asked, knowing there was something else Takumi wasn't telling him.

Takumi smiled. "But they've been lovers for quite a while now," he said. "And they stayed under one roof when Mai-chan was in Amsterdam. You know about her stay there, right?"

Sho froze.

He had heard about Mai's adventures in Europe, but he didn't know about Naru being there with her.

"They've been officially lovers for six months or so, but they've been crazy about each other for almost five years now," Takumi continued.

Sho eyed Takumi anxiously. That **couldn't** be true. How **could** it be?

Takumi chuckled. "Shocking, isn't it?"

"It still doesn't give Naru the right to claim her as his wife," Sho said.

"Yeah, but they stayed in Amsterdam as husband and wife," Takumi said. "I should know. I helped prepare their passports – false ones though."

Sho raised a brow at him. Mai told him about how she illegally jumped from one country to another, but with Naru?

Naru seemed like a guy who was rich enough to skip from one country to another legally.

"You falsified documents for them?" Sho asked.

"They eloped," Takumi explained. "Or Naru 'kidnapped' Mai from England and took her to Amsterdam."

"**WHAT?!**"

Takumi laughed. "Don't worry, Naru is a gentleman," he said. "And he's insanely stupid in those kinds of things. I mean seriously! If your dad was hell-bent on separating you and your girl, and you already got her out of the country with you, wouldn't you just get her pregnant to shut your dad up?"

Sho stiffened – eyes wide at the information Takumi dropped.

Naru's father was against his relationship with Mai. He ran away with her, without Mai knowing she was already eloping with him. And later, they made the relationship official - Mai became Naru's girlfriend.

Why didn't Mai know she was eloping with Naru? Why didn't Naru get her pregnant?

Takumi smiled. "That's just his father being a threat to Mai," he said. "You really think some ghost will stand a chance at hurting Mai when he's there with her?"

Sho looked away.

Takumi... had a point. If all the things he said were true...

Sho turned to look at the building. Everything was quiet. The leaves of the nearby trees rustled calmly in the soft breeze.

"You know a lot?" Sho asked.

"I know **quite** a lot," Takumi answered. "I've been there, you know?"

Sho looked at him.

Takumi was smiling. "I've been to where you are now," he said. "The reason why I know that much is because like you, I didn't let go of Mai-chan."

Sho raised his brows at Takumi, surprised at what he said. So Takumi was still in love with her.

Takumi stretched his arms. "But I realized that there are several ways of expressing your love for someone," he said. "One of them is making them happy."

Sho looked away. "Is... Is she happy?"

Takumi smirked. "**You** tell me," he said. "You're the one who sees her all day."

Sho sighed.

He remembered Mai's smiles when he met her, her smiles when Naru arrived... He remembered Mai's eyes when she looked at him, and her gaze at Naru... He remembered her face when she read the message Bou-san sent to her that afternoon and her face when she insisted Naru might still need her in the school building.

"Hey!" Takumi said, breaking the silence.

Sho looked at him and saw him waving at someone. He turned around and saw a man on the front door steps, smiling at them. The moonlight glinted on his eye glasses.

"Done?" Takumi asked.

"Yup!" the man answered. He took a deep breath and sighed. "It's been one hell of a night though. I don't think we'll be celebrating for the triumph tonight."

Takumi nodded. "I bet Mai-chan's exhausted."

"You got that right. She was pretty shaken with what happened. Fr. Brown said it's been a while since he performed such a painstaking exorcism, and to more than one person – in one night!"

Takumi sighed. "I guess this is really the end for the case," he said. "Oh dear, where are my manners?" he said, slapping his forehead at the sight of Sho, looking curiously at the man he was talking to. "Yasuhara, this is Sho-kun, Mai-chan's friend here in the university."

Yasuhara smiled at Sho. "Ah! So **you're** Sho. Glad to meet you!"

"Sho, this is Osamu Yasuhara," Takumi said, smiling at Sho. "He's also a friend of Mai-chan's."

Sho bowed at Yasuhara. "It's an honor to meet you, Osamu-san" he said.

"Nah, just call me Yasuhara," Yasuhara said.

"So are they on their way out?" Takumi asked.

"In a while or so," Yasuhara answered. "They're having tea. Would you two like to come in and join us? Come to think of it, that's why I'm here – to invite you in!"

"Sure!" Takumi said, leaning away from his car and walking to Yasuhara. "Come on, Sho-chan!"

Sho scowled and glared at Takumi. But he followed them as they walked into the building.

"Tea in this time of the day," Sho heard a woman's voice echo in the hallway. One of the rooms in his left was lit up.

He followed Yasuhara and Takumi into the room.

Sho stood surprised at the sight of the parapsychology club members seated in the room. They looked like they had just undergone a traumatic interrogation session. They all looked pale and groggy. A lot of them were tearful. And their eyes were, for the first time in months... alive?

Somehow the sight of them didn't frighten him like it used to.

"That's Naru the tea addict for you," Sho heard Takigawa's voice echo in the room. Sho looked around and saw Takigawa and a red-haired woman beside the students. Based on Mai's descriptions, Sho deduced that the red-haired woman was the doctor – Matsuzaki Ayako.

There was also a priest and a ningyo-looking girl giving the members of the parapsychology club cups of tea – most probably the Australian priest Fr. John Brown and the professional medium Hara Masako.

"I don't think Naru told Mai to prepare some tea just to boss her around," Yasuhara said, smiling as he approached the group. "Look at how much calmer she is after she prepared the tea."

Sho looked farther into the room and saw Mai standing beside a table, pouring tea on a cup. Beside her stood Naru, sipping his tea and conversing with a familiar-looking young man. On the other side of the table seated another man, typing on a laptop. A wooden crutch rested on the wall beside him. A pink haired woman stood on his other side, sipping tea and grinning excitedly at Mai.

"You're right," Takigawa said, smirking. "She **does** look calmer."

"She doesn't look like she saw the exorcism," Ayako said, smiling.

Sho sighed. They were right. Mai didn't look like she screamed her lungs out moments ago.

"Of course I'm right," Yasuhara said smiling at them. "I'm always right."

"Oh please!" Ayako muttered, rolling her eyes.

"It sounds eerie when you say it," Takigawa said, cringing.

Takumi chuckled. "It's the smile, isn't it?"

"Yeah!" Takigawa answered. "It's ruthless!"

Yasuhara's smile widened.

"CUT IT OUT!" Takigawa hissed.

Sho smirked at the group. They were really close to each other.

"Sho-kun!" he heard Mai call from across the room. He looked at her.

"You're still really here?" Mai asked, holding a tray of tea cups as she walked toward him. She offered Yasuhara, Takumi and Sho the cups. Sho took one.

"I was worried," Sho said shyly. "I heard you scream."

Takigawa and Ayako snickered.

"Yeah," Takigawa said. "She's a screamer."

Mai frowned. "Matsuzaki-san screamed when she did the exorcism this morning!"

"She's an old hag," Takigawa reasoned. "It's natural."

Ayako glared at Takigawa and raised her cup of tea above his head, ready to pour it on his hair.

"**WHOA! STOP!**" Takigawa said, jumping away from Ayako. "I like my hair straight, thank you!"

Mai and the others in the group chuckled.

"Hey," Sho heard Takumi say. He turned to look at him. Takumi was talking to someone from across the room. Sho looked at where Takumi was looking and saw Naru, looking at him.

"Are you guys going to stay here?" Takumi asked as he walked to Naru.

Mai watched them with a puzzled look on her face. "Since when were they in good terms?" she muttered.

Yasuhara raised his brows at her. "You don't like it?"

"Oh I do! I do, I just... I'm just amazed they act like friends now," Mai said, watching Takumi and Naru talk quietly to themselves. Takumi nodded several times at what Naru was telling him.

Takigawa and Ayako snickered. John smiled. Masako sighed and rolled her eyes.

"She is so dense," Sho heard Masako mutter.

He raised his brow at her, puzzled at why the celebrity made such a comment about Mai.

Mai looked at her. "What did you say?"

"I said you make good tea," Masako answered.

"Oh," Mai said innocently. "Thank you."

"Aw, Masako gave Mai a complement," Ayako said, obviously teasing the medium.

Masako just shrugged her shoulders and turned to talk to John.

Sho frowned. He didn't like it. They were supposed to be Mai's friends, and yet there they were – making fun of her!

"Why?" he suddenly heard Mai ask, somewhat disappointed.

He turned to look at her and saw Takumi already talking to her.

"There's nothing left to do here but wait for their parents," Takumi said, nodding to the parapsychology club members. "They've already packed everything this afternoon."

"But the tea cups!" Mai said.

"It's alright, Mai-chan," the pink-haired woman said, walking to stand beside Takumi. She was smiling cheerfully at Mai. "We can wash those in the house. Takumi-kun is right. You should go home. It's been a long night. And you have classes tomorrow."

Mai sighed and frowned. "But I haven't heard what exactly happened here," she said. "Aren't you going to tell me why the parapsychology club is here? Why Takumi-kun is here? Why you said you've closed the case this morning, but you're all still here and-"

"Mai," Naru's voice cut in.

Everyone looked at him. He was walking toward Mai.

"We're not going to discuss anything without the headmaster and the parents of the students present," Naru said.

"That's right," Madoka said. "Trust me, you're not the only one who's been out of the loop."

"You got that right," Takigawa said, nodding.

"We're all tired," Takumi said. "It would be better to discuss all of this tomorrow."

Mai sighed. "But you'll all stay up late!"

"We don't have classes to attend to," Naru said.

Mai scowled and glared at her.

Naru just stared at her in his apathetic blue eyes.

They stared at each other for a moment – the others in the group watching the tension grow between them.

Mai sighed and looked away, conceding.

"We'll all meet tomorrow morning – 7am – in the faculty lounge," Naru said. He looked at the students sitting a few steps away from him. "That includes you – all of you."

The parapsychology students nodded, bowing and weakly replying "Yes, Shibuya-sama."

Naru then walked back to where he stood, grabbing some papers on the table and browsing through them.

"That includes you," the pink-haired woman said, winking at Mai. "You're his assistant after all."

Mai smiled shyly at her.

"Shall we go home then?" Takumi asked smiling at her.

Mai sighed and nodded. "I'll just get my bag."

Sho watched Mai walk to where Naru was standing. She placed the empty tray on the table, grabbed a bag and... Tell Naru something?

Naru glanced at her, sipped his tea and then said, "Idiot."

"Jerk," Mai snapped, before sticking her tongue out at him and marching to where Takumi was.

Naru sighed and muttered what sounded like "childish" as he looked down at the papers on the table. But before he raised his cup to his lips for another sip of his tea, Takumi saw a shadow of a smirk on his lips.

"Let's go, Sho-kun," Mai said. "Takumi-kun will give you a ride home too."

Sho stiffly nodded and watched Mai stomp to the hallway.

"You saw that too, didn't you?" Takumi muttered.

Sho looked at him, wondering if Takumi was indeed addressing him.

Takumi smiled at him. "Let's go."

"See you tomorrow!" the pink haired woman said, smilng at them as they walked to the hallway.

Sho sighed. Naru really smirked, didn't he?

"NARU!" he suddenly heard the pink-haired woman's voice echo from the room. "That was rude, picking on Mai-chan like that! Did we not teach you any manners?!"

Takigawa, Ayako, and Yasuhara's chuckles filled the hallway.

* * *

><p>"You're in on this, aren't you?" Mai said, frowning at Takumi.<p>

They had dropped Sho off in front of his home, and were already headed to Mai's apartment.

"In on what?" Takumi asked, keeping his eye on the road.

"Naru's plan on the investigation!" Mai said. "And you left me out."

Takumi chuckled. "If taking Yasuhara to Hokkaido and giving him, and Yuuta-kun, a ride back to Shibuya is being part of the plan then yes – I am part of the plan."

Mai stared surprised at Takumi. "Really?"

Takumi looked at her. "I thought you've figured it out."

Mai looked away. "A little," she said. "When Yasuhara said you were waiting outside, I thought you were there because of me. Then Madoka said we should invite you in for tea. I was surprised she knew you. I realized you must have worked with them in something, like in this case."

Takumi burst into laughter. "Oh, Mai-chan," he said. "Almost, but not quite."

"Eh?" Mai asked, staring at Takumi with confusion.

"I'll give you a hint," Takumi said, smirking at her. "I am **much **more involved than you think."

Mai frowned. "How so?"

Takumi stopped the car. "This is your stop," he said.

Mai raised her brows and turned to look at her window. Beyond it was her apartment complex. "Oh! That was fast," she said. She looked at Takumi again. "How involved **are** you?"

Takumi chuckled. "I'm not telling you," he said. "**Yet**."

Mai frowned. "When are you going to tell me?"

"When it's time," Takumi said. "Now go get some sleep. You have school tomorrow."

"Not fair! When would be the time for you to tell me?" Mai asked.

Takumi shook his head.

Mai glared at him. "I'm not leaving you."

"Go ahead," he said. "Just don't expect me to let you sleep in my apartment tonight. I'll leave you here in the car if I have to."

Mai kept her eyes on him for a moment. "I don't-" Mai found herself inhaling deeply – yawning...and unable to speak further.

Takumi laughed. "Good night, Mai-chan," he said, leaning closer toward her and kissing her forehead. "Now go get some shuteye."

Mai sighed and nodded. "Thank you and don't fall asleep on the road."

Takumi laughed. "Sure thing," he said.

Mai got out of the car and walked to her apartment.

* * *

><p>Mai peeped into the empty faculty lounge, huffing as she stood at the hallway.<p>

She woke up late that morning, probably because her body enjoyed the comfort of the bed too much after the action-packed exorcism of the abandoned building. She had to fetch a cab to reach the university on time for Naru's lecture on what happened.

"What are you doing?" Mai suddenly heard Naru's voice behind her.

She gasped and jumped to face him. "Naru! I-I'm sorry, I overslept. I-is it over?"

"No," he answered, watching her with his blue apathetic eyes. "We just moved to the student affairs office."

"Oh," Mai said, relieved she didn't miss anything.

"This way," Naru said, walking away from the lounge. Mai followed him.

"Am I the only one missing?" Mai asked.

"Yes," Naru answered.

Mai sighed, embarrassed that they had to wait for her. A playful thought jabbed at her self-loathing moment. She smirked and looked up at him. "So you went to the lounge to wait for me," she said, teasing him more than telling him why she thought he was there. "And to take me to the student affairs office with you."

"Yes," Naru answered nonchalantly.

Mai stiffened – blood rushing to her cheeks. "R-Really?"

Naru opened the door to the headmaster's office and let Mai inside. Takigawa and Ayako noticed the red tint in Mai's cheeks and tried not to snicker.

"Now that we are complete, we can begin," Naru said, leaning his weight on the table – his arms crossed over his chest. Mai stared shocked at him for a moment.

He really looked like one of those new professors girls usually fall for in school.

Mai sat down on an empty seat beside him, seeing that it was the only seat available.

It was then that Mai looked around and saw everyone who was in the room. On the seats across from her were Madoka and Naru's original assistant, Lin Koujo. Lin had his wooden crutch resting beside him.

He glanced at Mai for a moment – a cold glance. He then looked back at Naru.

Mai swallowed. He was still upset at what she did to his leg.

Madoka on the other hand looked professional but cheerful. She smiled at Mai for a moment before looking at Naru.

Behind them were long sofas where the members of the parapsychology club. Yuuta was one of them. Yuuta smiled shyly at her before he glanced down at his hands.

Beside the door to the office were Yasuhara, Masako and John. Behind her were Ayako and Takigawa.

Mai looked down at her hand.

Takumi wasn't there.

"_I'll give you a hint," Takumi said, smirking at her. "I am __**much **__more involved than you think."_

"My name is Shibuya Kazuya," Naru began, addressing the students in the room. "You met me last night. I am the president of Shibuya Psychic Research. The head master asked us to perform a scientific investigation on the paranormal events rumoured to be happening in the abandoned school building. Before we go to the details of what happened last night, do you all know why you're here?"

Mai looked at the students. They looked far better than they were last night. Though most of them looked sullen, all of them responded 'yes.' Naru went on with introducing the investigators in the room.

"...Takigawa-san, a Buddhist monk from Mt. Kouya," Naru ended the brief introduction. "And this is Taniyama Mai, my part-time assistant."

Mai froze and looked away, knowing how red her cheeks were. And that ends his brief introduction for sure! Yes it does!

Ayako and Takigawa were trying not to laugh at Mai.

"Part of what we found out in our investigations is the parapsychology club's involvement in the case we investigated on. Are you all part of the club?"

The students quietly answered, 'yes.'

"I thought it was harmless," said a young man in the group.

Naru nodded. "That is true. But things, I am sure most of you are already aware of that I will be discussing later, happened. Now according to the data we've gathered in the investigation, the said ghost sightings and mysterious accidents began six months ago – the same time the parapsychology club started using the structure in their evening meetings," Naru said. "Is this true?"

The students shyly nodded, including Yuuta.

"And may I ask what you have all been doing in those meetings?" Naru asked.

There was silence for a moment. But a brave soul in the group of club members spoke up. "We did some tricks," he said.

"What kind of tricks?" Naru asked.

"Tricks like... calling spirits," answered another.

"And you did those why?" Naru asked.

"It was fun," answered yet another student. "It was interesting."

"We've been playing with those summon-the-spirit games since we were children," said someone else in the group. "Nothing happened to us."

"That's because most of the tricks known in schools are harmless," Naru answered. "Though there **are** cases wherein the tricks were done properly and they worked."

"Like this one," whispered a girl in the group.

"Yes and no," Naru answered. "What most of you have been using are spells and rituals from various beliefs that were proven to work, given the right mix of tools, means, and motivation. Now, **what** motivated all of you to do those tricks? And I want the truth."

Mai winced at the icy glare Naru was sending the students.

Silence.

"What you summoned weren't just spirits," he said. "They took something from you in exchange for what you wanted."

Silence.

"They claimed your bodies," Naru continued. "How much of the past months do you remember?"

Some of the students winced. The girls started to weep.

"Naru," Mai said, wanting to calm him down. He was scaring the students! They had been through enough pain and humiliation.

"They were laughing at us," said one of them. "When we heard about those tricks, we... **I **thought they won't laugh at us anymore if they worked."

"I wanted to punish those brats for bullying me," said one of the weeping students. "Was that wrong?"

"I wanted my crush to like me," whispered another.

"I wanted to see ghosts," said someone else.

"I wanted to be powerful," said a young man scratching the back of his head. "Like those people in anime shows."

"I wanted to know my future," said a girl wiping her eyes. "I wanted to see who I was going to marry."

"Man," Takigawa groaned. "For college students, they sound like adolescents!"

"Shut up," Ayako hissed, nudging him with her elbow.

Yuuta remained silent. Mai knew why. Everyone in the room already knew his reason for doing those rituals.

"Do you all know what you tried to summon?" Naru asked.

"Ghosts," answered a young man in the group.

"Angels," answered another.

"Malevolent spirits," Naru answered. "And surprisingly, a djin."

Mai raised a brow at Naru. "Djin?"

"It's a form of demon that grants wishes," Madoka answered, smiling at Mai. "It's mentioned in Islamic mythologies."

"OH!" Mai said. "You mean like 'genies'?"

Madoka nodded. "Yes, but contrary to popular belief, they don't offer or grant you three wishes," she said. "And if they do grant your wishes, it almost always comes with a price."

"In this case, their bodies," Takigawa said grimly. "You kids are lucky lesser demons took over you. If the stronger ones did, you'd be six-feet under."

The students winced and cringed.

Mai sighed. Perhaps that was why Masako said she couldn't recognize the spirit.

"Your rituals summoned several kinds of spirits and ordered them to perform several harmful acts," Naru said. "One of them was a djinn. But you placed a number of seals in the building to lock them all inside. You tempted them all to get out, and encouraged them to fight each other. When you did those evening meetings, I heard some of you saw things in the building."

The students nodded.

"Elaborate," Naru answered.

"I saw a shadow," said one.

"I saw a smoke," said another.

"I saw a little girl," said another one in the group.

"I saw a white lady," said someone else.

And the students began exchanging experiences - beings that they saw when they looked in hallways and rooms, and spirits they saw when they were isolated from the group.

Mai stared shocked at the group. Each student saw a different ghost – a different spirit.

"What do you all remember after that?" Naru asked.

The students fell silent.

"I remember dreaming," answered one of them – a girl looking down at her hands. "I remember killing my pet dog," she said, sobbing. "I remember going to school and hurting my friends."

The students began to tell their own version of the dream – all of them seeming like they just observed the next months that passed.

Mai looked at Madoka. "They've been possessed that long?" she asked.

Madoka sadly nodded.

"You placed several seals that kept the stronger spirits from possessing you," Naru said. "But it wasn't strong enough, nor numerous enough, to stop the lesser demons from preying on you. The things you saw in the evening meetings were baits. Malevolent djinns like the one you summoned can create illusions to tempt you. When you all let your guard down, the djinn tried to possess you. But because of the protection seals you placed, it failed. Its efforts had weakened most of the seals however. And the lesser demons you summoned got hold of your bodies."

Mai watched grief and regret flood the students' eyes.

"Parapsychology studies paranormal psychological phenomena," Naru said. "Parapsychologists may study spirits and rituals, but they don't summon sprits and perform rituals just to prove a point because as scientists, they understand the consequences of doing such activities. **All of you** should have known **that **when you formed the club, became part of the club. immersed yourselves in the science through your workshops and group studies, and considered yourselves amateur parapsychologists."

Silence filled the room. Mai saw some of the students glance at Yuuta.

"Not just one of you should be blamed for this," Naru continued. "Each of you agreed to perform those rituals and each of you did those activities with your own selfish motivation."

The students looked shamefully down at the floor.

"I know you're all regretting what you did now," Naru said. "But that doesn't mean you've already learned your lesson."

Mai frowned at Naru. He was being too harsh!

Madoka nudged Lin, snickering at the interaction between Mai and Naru.

Lin sighed. Naru had a point though. Most of the people involved in similar cases, they've investigated on, did the same activity years later because they enjoyed the sense of power that summoning spirits gave them.

"But I want all of you to remember what you've experienced in this event," Naru said. "...What you've lost in those months you lived dreaming nightmares, who you've hurt in the things that those spirits made you do and where you might be if no one intervened."

The students remained silent. But their faces showed that they understood what Naru said.

"If you really want to study parapsychology, there are ways," Naru continued. "I suggest you focus on your studies first before you consider taking parapsychology seriously."

The students nodded.

"And grow up," Naru said, standing up. "**All** of you."

Everyone stared surprised at Naru.

"You're not yet in the real world," Naru continued. "So don't act like what you're experiencing now is nothing compared to what other people in the world are experiencing. I assure you, that's just the tip of the iceberg."

The students looked down at their hands. They remained silent but their gestures told everyone else in the room that they understood what Naru said.

"You may leave," Naru said, turning away to grab the folders on the table.

The students all bowed down and thanked them. Madoka, John, Takigawa and Ayako hugged them, patted their shoulders and comforted them as they walked out the door.

Mai stood up and was about to ask a question when a female student in the group approached Naru.

"Sh-Shibuya-san," she shyly asked.

Naru turned to look at her.

Mai smiled at her. She probably wanted to thank Naru for saving them. If she was in their shoes, she would do it too! She would muster all her courage and-

"Can I work as your assistant too?" the student asked – her cheeks scarlet and her eyes shimmering with adoration for Naru.

Mai's jaw dropped. Lin coughed.

"I already have an assistant," Naru answered.

"I understand," the student said. "But I can do part-time work," she hopefully said. "I know a lot about your work. I can assist you."

Lin was biting his lips. Mai was gawking at the student.

"Are you saying I'm not a suitable part-time assistant?" Mai asked – her brown eyes narrowing at the student.

The student ignored her.

That took the cake.

"Hey!" Mai said, glaring at the student. "I don't care if you-"

"We're currently not looking for another part-timer," Naru said. "But we'll consider you when we're in need of one."

Mai stared shocked at Naru. Lin stared at him.

The student smiled shyly and bowed. "Thank you so much, Shibuya-sama!" She then walked out of the room with the others.

Naru turned back to the folders on the table.

"You're seriously considering her as a part-time assistant?!" Mai asked.

"She's knowledgeable," Naru answered. "And I don't recall assuring her a place in the office."

"But you said you'll consider her!"

Naru turned to look at her. "Are you opposing my decision?"

Mai frowned. "I have no right but yes, I **am** opposing your decision."

"Why?"

Mai looked away. "W-Why not?"

Naru sighed.

Mai crossed her arms over her chest. "So...why were they there last night?"

"When you received Takigawa-san's message, did you read it out loud?" Naru asked.

"Yeah I-" Mai froze. She remembered how she read it out loud to Sho. For a moment there, she thought someone was watching her. "Takigawa-san sent it on purpose? Had you really exorcised the spirits in the building when he sent it?"

"Must I explain everything to you?" Naru said.

Mai glared at him. "I won't be confused here if no one was being confusing!"

Lin smirked. He had to admit they were entertaining to watch.

Naru looked at her. "You wouldn't be confused if you weren't idiot enough to be confused."

Mai scowled. "I am not an idiot! Well... maybe at some level I am but... **UGH!** Jerk! You hadn't really exorcised the spirit then! You just sent the message, assuming I would read it out loud and the parapsychology club would hear it!"

Naru looked away. "You read it out loud."

"Yeah!" Mai said, blushing. She was idiot enough to read it out loud. "A-and **you** used me as bait!"

"No," Naru said. "You acted as the messenger."

Mai rolled her eyes. She took a deep breath and thought about everything. Naru had a point – she did just act as the messenger. "What if they went after me?" she muttered, looking away.

"They were just watching you."

Mai gasped. "You were there!" she said, pointing a finger at him. "You were stalking me!"

"Why would I do that?" Naru asked.

Mai looked away again – cheeks flushed red. Because he cared about her?

Madoka, John, Ayako, Takigawa, and Yasuhara were snickering. Lin and Masako were smirking.

"I-I don't know," Mai mumbled. She sighed. He'll just tease her more if she said what she thought was the reason behind it. "And they went there, just as you expected they would."

"It was the problem exorcising the spirits in the building posed," Naru said. "When I saw the word 'Help' scratched on the blackboard after Matsuzaki-san's exorcism, I knew if we did get rid of the one that was in the building the club would only summon more back."

Mai leaned her weight on the table, nodding. "Naru," she began.

Naru didn't speak. He just scribbled some notes on a file.

"If those students were possessed by demons, why didn't they destroy the seals in the building?" Mai asked.

Naru gathered the folders. "They did," he answered. "That's why the shadow manifested – why the demons possessed the new members they took to the building, why the demolition worker was possessed. But the spirits didn't possess all the members of the group who placed most of the seals in the place."

"Oh," Mai said. "So Yuuta and his friends – the once who've moved – were the ones who put most of the seals. That's why you told him to help out."

"That and the fact that he started everything," Naru said. "Let's go. You have a class to go to."

Mai nodded. She looked at her watch. "I still have an hour though."

"Spend it in the library," Naru said, walking out of the room. Lin stood up. Madoka quickly rushed to his side.

Mai frowned. "Where are you going?"

But Naru had disappeared in the hallway.

"He'll be submitting the report to the headmaster," Madoka answered.

"Oh," Mai said. She frowned. She remembered how the meeting was supposed to be. "Hey, wasn't the headmaster and the students' parents supposed to be in the meeting?"

"Yes," Madoka said, smiling at her. "But we couldn't set a time when they were all available. So Naru briefed the parents last night when they fetched the students from the school building and now he'll be briefing the headmaster while he submits the investigation report."

Mai sighed. She was once again out of the loop.

"The demolition of the old school building is scheduled later at eleven," Madoka said.

Mai nodded.

It was officially the end then – the end of the case, the end of the investigation...the end of her time with Naru. Perhaps that was why they didn't bother to tell her about the change in plans for the meeting - she was no longer part of the team.

"Let's go, Jou-chan," Takigawa called, walking out the door with the others.

Mai smiled. It would be the last time she would be in a room with all of them – the last time she would be part of Naru's fascinating world.


	49. Chapter 49

_Thank you all so much for reading the previous chapters of this story!_

_I took a long leave from everything. I really planned on updating my stories even while on vacation, but my mood for uploading chapters also ended up taking a vacation. _

_Anyway, here's the next chapter for "Where is home?" I'm still too busy to clean this thoroughly so pardon the missing words and errors. I'll try to clean this up later. _

* * *

><p>Mai checked her watch.<p>

Thirty minutes before eleven.

Mai looked out the window. She chose to sit beside the windows that overlooked the university grounds for that particular class period.

Her class would end soon.

Near the abandoned school building were bulldozers. And probably, Naru and the others were there assuring everyone it was okay to demolish the once haunted structure.

Mai sighed. She somehow felt sorry for the building. After sheltering herds of children from rains and sun in class hours, this was how its efforts were repaid – demise.

Mai tapped her notebook with the tip of her pen, smothering its white surface with delicate dots.

The professor was discussing something about Freud's Oedipus and Electra complex and-

The ground rumbled. A low and loud crashing sound echoed in the university grounds. The students all jumped from their seats and ran to the window, intrigued by the sudden commotion in the area.

Mai gasped and looked at the abandoned building.

It was collapsing into a pile of dust and wood scrap.

Mai stood up.

"I thought it was due to be demolished at eleven! It's only ten-thirty-two!" exclaimed one of her classmates.

"Whoah! That's so cool!" whispered the others.

"They said they're going to build a new building there," said another.

"That's going to be the place for the new tennis field," mumbled yet another.

Mai felt pain slowly seep into her chest, squeezing her heart.

They said eleven.

Mai looked down at her notebook, hearing the sounds of the crashing junk pile from a far.

So...It really **was** the end?

* * *

><p>Sho glanced at Mai as they walked away from the psychology building.<p>

Mai had been silent all day – her eyes grieving for something she didn't seem to want to share with anyone. He asked her about the meeting with the parapsychology club that morning, and that was the only time she said more than one sentence to him that day.

Sho sighed. He wasn't that thick. He knew it had something to do with Naru, or his whole team. Mai seemed to really enjoy working with them, even if it put her in harm's way.

Maybe he can find their office and ask Naru to give Mai a permanent job. It would wound Sho's ego, not to mention his heart, but like Takumi said – there are other ways of expressing your love to someone.

Sho spotted what remained of the abandoned building. The workers had roped the area since they were still hauling the scraps with the bulldozer. But they could still pass by the area through the sides of the road.

"Neh, Mai-chan," Sho said. "Look!"

Mai looked up and saw the pile of debris. The bulldozer was howling some of them up to a truck.

Sho glanced at Mai and saw... heartbreak in her eyes. He took her hand.

Mai looked up at him.

"It's sad, I know," he said. "But look at it this way. At least, it won't be neglected anymore. The usable scraps could be recycled and given a new life. The rotting ones can finally rest in the earth and help in growing trees – still a new life."

Mai stared at him for a moment before smiling. She looked out at the debris and nodded. "You're right," she said. "...A new life."

"Yup," Sho said. "...Ready for a new life?"

Mai looked up at Sho and chuckled. "Yes!"

* * *

><p>Mai opened the door to her apartment, yawning. Sho walked her home that afternoon since Takumi said he was away on another errand.<p>

She suspected he took Yuuta back to Hokkaido. But Yuuta could just ride a train so maybe he was really on another errand.

Mai walked to the kitchen, whistling to herself as she prepared some tea.

Sho was right. She should be open to new beginnings. And moving to a new place was going to be the start of the new period in her life.

Mai closed her eyes as the taste of the tea touched her senses. Memories of the case flashed in her mind.

She smiled. She couldn't blame the parapsychology club for being fascinated with parapsychology. Being a paranormal investigator was frightening, exhilarating and interesting. If she was given a chance to live those days again, she would do it again. Well, probably not the part where Naru's assistant got hurt. She would probably just beg Naru to let her work with them – for **free.**

Mai opened her eyes. But in reality, she didn't have that choice. Her time as a paranormal investigator ended that morning. And like the abandoned building, any chance she had of reliving that moment had crumbled into dust.

When Sho walked her out of the university, Naru was gone. There was no sign of Takigawa, Ayako, Masako, John, Yasuhara, Madoka, and Lin anywhere.

They were probably out on another case... without an annoying Mai to delay the investigation.

A series of knocks echoed from the front door.

Mai gasped – her heart skipping. For a moment she imagined seeing Naru on her porch, asking her to work with him in SPR for good. Mai quickly hurried to the living room.

"Good evening, Mai-chan," Aika-san greeted shyly.

"Aika-san! Good evening," Mai replied. "Please come in."

"Oh no, no," Aika-san said, shaking her head. "I just wanted to ask if you're ready to move out tonight."

"E-eh?" Mai said, confused at what her landlady just said.

"Oh," Aika said. "D-Didn't you read the note I left under your door yesterday?"

Mai stiffly shook her head. She looked around the room and found a folded white paper slipped between the wall and the side table that sat near the front door. She picked it up and unfolded the paper.

"I'm sorry," Aika said, looking at the paper. "You weren't around so I just slipped the note under your door. I guess it slid in the corner. You see, the new tenants wanted to occupy this floor tomorrow night and we were planning on cleaning it tomorrow morning."

Mai nodded slowly, reading the letter asking her if she could leave that evening because the new tenants decided to occupy the place sooner than they had planned.

"I-Is it still alright, Mai-chan?" Aika asked.

Mai looked at the old woman.

No. She hadn't found a place where she could move to. She hadn't told anyone about her need to move, not even Takumi. Takumi was out of town so there was no way she could ask him to let her spend the night in his apartment. Ayako was working in the hospital for sure, just as Takigawa was busy in the bar with Yasuhara. There was no way she would stay with Sho. They weren't **that** close. And her girl friends didn't exactly have enough space for themselves in their own apartments.

"Yes," Mai answered smiling at Aika. "Of course! No problem. I was packing up my things these past few days anyway. I'll just box some things here and there, and I can leave tonight."

"Oh, thank you, Mai-chan," Aika said. "I'll have someone to help you with taking your things down on the ground floor. I'll also call a cab for you. Just tell me when you're ready."

"That would be great," Mai said. "Thank you, Aika-san!"

"Thank **you**," Aika said, bowing at her. "...For understanding."

Mai shook her head. "You're the best landlady I had, Aika-san," she said. "Thank you for taking care of me." She bowed to Aika.

Mai watched Aika disappear in the hallway, thinking about where she would go once she was done packing. Perhaps her savings could afford an overnight stay in a motel! But she had school the next day so she wouldn't be able to immediately leave the motel.

And staying longer in the motel would drain her savings account.

Mai shook her head and smiled. She would just have to think about things later. First, she had to pack all her things.

* * *

><p>Another set of knocks echoed from the door.<p>

It was quarter to nine in the evening and Mai was closing the last box that held her things. Luckily, moving out a lot made her keep very few things in the house – usually the bare necessities. She didn't even have a huge TV – just a portable one where she could also watch movies in DVD.

"I'm done packing," Mai cheerfully said as she ran to the door with the box, thinking it was Aika checking on her. But to her surprise, she saw Naru standing on her porch instead.

Naru's blue eyes were calm. He stood there as if there was nothing odd about him being in that place.

Mai shut her eyes, and shook her head. Perhaps she was just dreaming about him – the after-effect of imagining him there hours ago. She had been feeling a bit sleepy for the past thirty minutes too.

But when she opened her eyes, he was still there in his blue long-sleeved shirt, deep brown pants and black coat.

Or maybe he was Gene! But Gene didn't look at her like that!

Then he grabbed the box from Mai's hands and walked away.

Mai's jaw dropped. It took her a moment to process what Naru had done.

"Wait!" she shouted, running after him. He was already on the stairs to the ground floor when she caught up with him. "What are you doing? What are you doing here?"

Naru didn't reply. He just walked on to a black van, parked in front of the apartment complex. The back door of the van was open. He placed the box inside the van and walked back to the apartment building.

"What the-" Mai gasped, realizing that Naru was loading her things in the SPR van.

"Oh! You asked a friend to help you move out," Mai heard Aiki say from behind her.

Mai looked surprised at her landlady. Apparently Aiki had been watching them from her front porch.

"I was about to call a cab for you," her landlady said smiling at her. "I guess you don't need one anymore?"

"I-I..."

Naru was once again walking down the stairs with another box from Mai's apartment unit.

Mai watched him load her things and sighed. "Yes," she shyly answered. "I won't need a cab anymore."

Aiki nodded. "Tell me if you need help with taking your things down," he said. "My son is here. He can give you a hand."

"It's okay," Mai said, smiling at her. "I don't have that many things, really. We're good."

"Alright then," Aiki said before she went back inside her apartment.

Mai huffed. Naru was on his way up the stairs again. She might as well give him a hand. Then again, he took the job without asking her opinion about it. Maybe she should just let him enjoy the trouble he made for himself.

Mai walked up to her apartment. Naru was holding one of the two remaining boxes from her unit. She watched him take the box down stairs before she hurried to the room to get her luggage.

Naru spoke only after Mai loaded her luggage on the van. "Is that everything?"

Mai looked up at him, surprised. The van was clear of the equipment she remembered it carried when they were doing the investigation in the abandoned building. Then he asked her about her things.

So he really went there to help her move out of the apartment? "Y-Yes," she answered.

Naru shut the door and walked to the front passenger seat. He opened the door and looked at Mai.

Mai just stared at him.

"Are you just going to stand there?" Naru asked.

"N-No," Mai answered, blood filling her cheeks. "I-I need to give Aiki-san the keys," she said before walking to Aiki-san's house.

After exchanging warm thanks and goodbyes, Mai walked back to the van.

The door to the front passenger seat was still open, and Naru was already seated inside – reading a portfolio.

Mai sighed and walked toward him. Apparently the front passenger seat was spacious enough for two people.

"Lock the door," Naru said, still not looking at Mai.

Mai took it as her cue to sit beside him. She shut the door, as instructed, and the van whirred to life. She then wondered who was driving, since Naru was reading beside her.

Mai leaned forward to take a look at the driver and froze.

It was Lin. Feeling he gaze, he turned his head. He glanced icily at Mai.

"I can drive," Lin said, as if her shocked gaze meant she didn't trust him – cripple and all.

Mai stiffly nodded. "Y-yeah," she said. "I-I knew you- I mean I- It's not that-"

Lin looked away from her – his face in a frown.

Mai looked down at her hands, sighing exasperatedly. When would Lin forgive her?

Never.

Mai leaned back on her seat and looked out at the window as the van drove away from the apartment complex.

"How did you know?" she said, after a while of silence. She watched Naru's reflection on the window as he turned a page of the portfolio in his hand.

"I have my resources," Naru answered.

Mai frowned. "Stalker," she muttered.

"Idiot," Naru replied.

Mai scowled and looked up at Naru. "Jerk!" She then stuck out her tongue in insult.

Naru glanced at her. He stared at her for a moment, sighed, looked away and muttered. "Childish."

Mai looked away – her brown eyes flaring with defensiveness, and cheeks red with shame.

"Thank you," Naru heard Mai whisper. He stared at the blank page on the portfolio for a moment before he smirked.

Lin coughed, trying hard not to chuckle at Naru's reaction to Mai.

And Lin, for an impermanent cripple, could drive.

* * *

><p>It took them an hour to reach the white two-storey house.<p>

Mai gawked at the modern and expensive-looking house. The massive gate itself was enough to tell Mai the house was for rich people.

Naru got off the van and opened the brown gate. It looked like a five-inch thick wooden gate, held together by thick metal frames. The low creak told Mai just how heavy it was.

The house had a spacious garage. It stood beside a white-tiled terrace that faced a Zen garden.

Mai marvelled at the warm light softly illuminating the garden. It wasn't that big but it was looked relaxing even in the evening. And the hymn of the rushing waters made her want to just stay there for the night.

Lin got off and opened the mahogany front door. He went in, opening the lights as he vanished into the inside of the house.

The white-washed walls of the house shined in the white light. Its sharp squares looked sophisticated in the dark.

Naru followed Lin with a box of Mai's things in his arms. It was then that Mai remembered why she was there – to be an overnight refugee.

She hurriedly took her things from the van and placed them on the garage floor. She took one of the boxes and followed Naru inside.

Mai found herself mumbling "wow" at the white-washed interior of the house that seemed to glow in the flourescent light. Although the abode looked modern with its sharp geometric appearance and lack of the traditional tin angled roof, it had traditional Japanese home features like the genkan.

Mai took her shoes off and placed it on the black wooden getabako, situated against the wall, under the shelf where Naru placed his shoes.

The living room looked modern with the black geometric sofas opposing the brightness of the white-washed walls. And it was more spacious than what Mai was used to. It was a tad bit smaller than she and Naru's living room in Amsterdam, but it was way bigger than what she had in her apartment.

And it had a black glass centre table with a beautiful ikebana arrangement of calla lilies resting on it. A white rectangle carpet covered the living room area's polished wooden floor.

There were bookshelves against the walls, a 32-inch flat screen TV, surround speakers, and a media player sitting on a black shelf fixed below the flat screen TV. They were again black, like the leather couches.

And there was what seemed to be a... fireplace? An electric one? Was that even possible?

Mai stepped further into the room, standing behind one of the sofas. The windows were covered with white drapes embroidered with dainty lily flowers several inches below its middle. A black and white chandelier lit the room. It had white glass cups covering the bulbs, looking more like luminescent tulips arranged in a vase stuck on the ceiling.

From the living room, she could see a stairs leading to the second floor, another door – a larger one – that must lead to a backyard, and ...the kitchen!

Mai couldn't help but look closer at the kitchen. A lengthy black marble counter separated the living room from the kitchen. The counter looked like something you would find in Yasuhara's bar. If you stood in the living room as a guest, the kitchen looked like a restaurant bar.

The kitchen looked as modern and western as the living room. It had a kitchen isle that matched the counter and kitchen appliances Mai only saw in their Amsterdam home. And the room looked too clean to cook in.

A few steps away from the kitchen, still visible from the living room, was a long, elongated, glass table that marked the dining area. It was surrounded with six chairs that were sculpted to look futuristic enough for the house's theme.

And of course, they were black – standing out from the white drapes and white tiles it shared with the kitchen.

There was another door that led, Mai presumed, to a bathroom which probably looked as sleek and stylish as the first-floor rooms.

Mai heard steps coming from the stairs and immediately ran toward it. She shook her head to keep herself focused on putting her things upstairs.

Naru walked down the stairs and proceeded to the genkan. "First room to the left," he said.

Mai nodded, knowing he just gave her instructions to her temporary quarters. She walked upstairs, trying to ignore the sleek effect of the black carpet on the white steps.

The stairs lead to a hallway with five doors. Two of the doors were open.

Mai slowly walked to the open door at the right, marvelling at the wall lamps illuminating the hallway. She took a peak at the room and saw Lin, raising a brow at her.

"I-I'm sorry!" Mai said, bowing low at Lin.

"**Left**," Lin said, before closing the door in front of Mai.

Mai sighed and turned to the open door in the left.

She should stop being curious about a lot of things in the house.

Mai's jaw dropped at the size of the room. It wasn't as big as she and Naru's bedroom in Amsterdam but it was far bigger than what she had in her apartment!

The room was black and white, of course. It had black furniture – towering wardrobes, bookshelves, study tables, entertainment appliances, a computer set... and black leather bean bag chairs where the entertainment set was! There were also paintings and calligraphy in the room.

It looked so clean and stylish, it reminded her of-

Naru walked in with another box of Mai's things. He placed it near one of the wardrobes. He opened the wardrobe closest to him and looked at Mai.

"Use this," he said.

Mai nodded.

Naru walked out of the room, no doubt to get the rest of Mai's things.

Tears streamed down Mai's cheeks. She placed the box down on the floor and chuckled.

She was going to spend the night in his room, just like when they were in Amsterdam. But unlike that first night, she knew she was going to share the room with him. And she knew there was no way he was doing it for something other than charity.

After all the insults and heartbreak she gave him, Naru still reached out his hand to her – though it looked more like he grabbed her hand to help her.

"What happened?" Mai heard Naru's voice ask from the door.

Mai smiled at him, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Nothing," she said. "I'm getting my luggage!"

Naru watched Mai sprint out of the room. He sighed. He already had a hint on what was on Mai's mind.

Lin peeked at the door. "I'm going to fetch Madoka from the embassy," he said. "Are you sure it's alright if we spend the night here? We won't mind staying in a hotel."

Naru glared at Lin. "I'm not you."

Lin coughed, blushing, and looked away. "I'm being realistic," he said.

"Get out."

"Jerk," Lin muttered, smirking at Naru.

Naru folded his arms over his chest. "Shut up," he said, cheeks slightly flushed.

Lin chuckled and headed to the stairs.


	50. Chapter 50

_Since those who had commented on the dilemma I posted on facebook said I update the story..._

* * *

><p>"Um," Mai said, hugging her pyjamas.<p>

She decided to unpack only the things she would need for that night, and her clothes for the next morning since she was planning to move out and look for a place to stay the next day.

Mai stood on the door, holding the oversized shirt where she wrapped her toiletries in. She could barely look at Naru, who was fixing the buttons on his blue-striped night-shirt while seated on the bed.

"Second door to the right," Naru said, knowing what Mai wanted to ask.

Mai nodded. "Thank you," she said before running out the room to the washroom.

The bathroom was as spotless as the entire house.

The tiles were white. The counter top was in black granite – decorated with small vases of fragrant white flowers, candles, soaps and shampoo bottles. The washroom mirror – a giant, reflective rectangle pasted on the wall – covered the area of two porcelain lavatories on the counter. A few steps further inside were two cubicles – one for a toilet and another for a shower. Past the cubicles was the marble tub that was big enough for two people to bathe in.

Mai took a deep breath, smelling the clean but gentle scent of the bathroom.

Takumi wasn't that neat with his apartment. Takigawa was worse. So to see a house maintained by Naru and Lin this clean was just… amazing!

Mai walked to the lavatory and began to brush her teeth. Even the mirror was clean. It was as if it wasn't used at all.

She frowned at her reflection.

Just how long had Naru been staying in Japan with Lin? How did they know she was having problems with her apartment? Why didn't Lin stop Naru from letting her spend the night in their apartment?

And she was going to sleep in Naru's bedroom!

Blood rushed to her cheeks. Mai quickly spat the bubbles out from her mouth and washed her face until the shame went away.

Sure the house wasn't as grand as the mansion in Amsterdam but a house that spacious most likely had some guest room of sorts. Why wasn't she just allowed to sleep there?

Maybe Lin was using it. And he and Madoka would be sharing it later when they got back from the wherever they were at the moment.

Perhaps that was why she had to sleep in Naru's bedroom.

Mai nodded. That was a wrong time to ask for Naru's help – not that she even asked him for one.

Mai went on to use the shower, afraid to stain Naru's black bed sheets with dusts from her apartment.

Naru was already sleeping on the bed when Mai got back.

She smiled at the peaceful face Naru had always worn when he had fallen in the arms of slumber.

Mai carefully walked to the wardrobe, tucking her clothes and toiletries in a bag before heading to the bed. She sat gently on the cushions, but it was just too soft to conceal her movements.

She winced as Naru turned his head away from her.

Mai froze, watching for any sign that might tell her she woke him up - There was none. She sighed in relief and carefully tucked herself under the covers.

The night was cold, probably because of the air conditioner Naru kept in the room. It was turned low so Mai hadn't regretted pairing her worn Capri pants with Takigawa's old shirt.

She closed her eyes, snuggling into the warmth of the black quilt protecting her from the cold.

Thoughts and memories of the day that passed swarmed her consciousness – images of the meeting with the SPR team, rumours about the old building being replaced by tennis courts and library buildings that students thought would sure be haunted once they were built on the site, faces of the people she met while working in the case…

Naru.

Mai opened her eyes – her heart pounding hard against her chest.

She couldn't sleep.

Mai stared at the darkness – the trace of the lampshade on the bedside table… and listened… to the hum of the air conditioner… to the silence in the room… to the rhythm of Naru's steady breathing.

Mai sighed.

For the past ten months, she wanted nothing but go back to this state – the state when she slept beside him and the state when she was sure she would see his face in the morning. She imagined it to be the most beautiful day of her life – the day she knew she **belonged**!

Mai felt a sting in her chest. But she didn't belong anywhere that night. She merely- She was taking refuge in Naru's house.

Mai slowly turned around, glancing at Naru's back.

They were sharing the black quilt, but a space between them kept her from feeling his warmth.

She slowly reached out her hand to touch his back. Her vision blurred as her fingers dropped on the bed.

She no longer had the right to do that. She threw it away the moment she sneaked away from him that night. She lost it when she stopped trusting him – when she started to think she should let him go.

Mai turned to face Naru's back, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Naru," she whispered, though she knew he wouldn't hear her. Or perhaps he would – in his dreams… where he would wake up the next morning without a memory of what she was about to tell him.

"I know you said you don't hate me," she continued. "But… You should. You know you should. **I** hate myself… For letting go… For not trusting you… For not-"

Mai wiped her tears and took several deep breaths to keep the bed from trembling with her shoulders.

"I didn't want you to work as an assistant bartender in Yasuhara's bar," Mai whispered, shutting her eyes. "I didn't want you to go home everyday to a rat hole. I didn't want you to look at those professors in the university with regret in your heart. I didn't want you to just dream about your parents when you want to talk to them."

Mai wiped her tears again. "I wanted you to- I wanted **you**! And I wanted you to be happy. Being with me… won't make you happy in the long run. So I-"

Soft, warm lips pressed themselves against Mai's. She froze – her brown eyes wide open as the warmth spread through her veins.

Arms slinked around her waist, pulled her close against the body she only dreamed of feeling again.

The pressure on her lips lifted.

"Idiot," Naru whispered – his minty breath tickling Mai's lips. "You really think I won't get a decent job with my credentials?"

Mai frowned at Naru – her eyes adjusting to the darkness. It was then that she realized how warm her face was and how he was already hovering over her. "Th-that wasn't my point!" she said. "Your parents would-"

"They're not the ones who'll live with your nagging and idiotic thinking for the rest of their lives," Naru said.

"I DO NOT NAG!"

"Really?"

"REALLY!"

"What are you doing now?"

Mai froze and looked away. "I'm… explaining," she muttered.

Naru chuckled.

Mai stiffly looked at him again.

Naru was awake! He heard what she said – all those stupid things she said! And he was…chuckling?

"I was planning to introduce you to my parents the next day," Naru said. "That was part of the plan. They only judged you because they didn't know you, and they weren't open-minded enough to meet you. When the thought of me being serious about you hit their senses, they loosened up a little. And that was the time I was supposed to introduce you to them. But lo and behold, you left me."

Mai wiped her teary eyes. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I should have trusted you."

"You did," Naru said. "And you loved me – that was one thing I didn't really understand until you left me."

Mai looked confused at Naru.

"The attention and the affection were nice," Naru said. "I enjoyed it a lot. But I could have felt that way with any other girl who gave them to me."

Mai couldn't help but frown at the thought of Naru being hugged and kissed by another girl – by his supposed fiancée and … Masako?

"But the pain you gave me when you left?" Naru said. "That was fatal. And I couldn't see any other woman who could do that to me, so consider yourself lucky."

Mai froze. She didn't know if she would feel guilty or happy at what he said. "You… didn't seem like you didn't hate me," she said.

"I didn't," Naru said. "I thought you speak Japanese."

Mai glared at him. "I knew you told me you didn't hate me, but that wasn't what it felt like! You were – not that I have a right to complain about it – so… far away."

"I was giving you a leeway," Naru said.

"Leeway..?"

"You left with another man," he said. "I saw you with yet another man in your school. I was looking at how you've moved on."

"But I haven't moved on!" Mai exclaimed. She gasped when she realized what she said and quickly covered her face.

"I thought so," Naru sighed. "I just wanted to be sure. You're not the only one who can go on 'selfless mode' you know. Just don't ask me about it again because I'm not going to admit it after tonight."

Mai slowly moved her fingers away from her eyes, peeping at Naru through her hands. "You thought I was involved with Takumi-kun?"

"No," Naru said. "Knowing you, you would be too idiotic to realize he was crazy about you, and that you could be involved with him."

"JERK!" Mai snapped, folding her arms over her chest.

"I'm right though, aren't I?"

Mai looked away, sure that her face was red again. "In some way," she mumbled.

Naru smirked.

"You stalked me!"

"No, I didn't."

"How did you know I needed to move out from my apartment?!"

"Ask Kaiba-san," Naru said, before locking his lips into hers. He then lay back down beside Mai and pulled her to sleep on his chest. "Good night. You have classes tomorrow."

"Not that early," Mai muttered, frowning and wrapping her arms around Naru. "What does Takumi-kun have to do with this?"

"A lot," he said. "I need to sleep and so do you."

Mai sighed and listened to the steady beat of Naru's heart. She smiled.

She was right. It felt great to be in his arms. It was as if she was finally home.

"Neh, Naru," Mai whispered.

Naru grunted.

Mai shyly looked at the stripes on his shirt, trying to not feel too embarrassed at what she was about to do. "What are we?"

"That depends," Naru answered.

"...On what?" Mai asked, looking confused at Naru.

Naru opened his eyes and looked at her. "If I asked you to marry me, would you marry me?"

"Of course!" Mai said, without thinking it over. She froze when she realized what he asked her.

Naru smirked. "Then we're engaged," he said.

"**What?!** NO! Naru you-"

But Naru's lips had shut her mouth. Mai eventually gave up and rolled her eyes.

"You'll make more sense in the morning," she muttered, burying her face against his chest.

Naru chuckled.

* * *

><p>Madoka stared at the locked door on the hallway, frowning at the silence looming in the second floor.<p>

"What's wrong?" Lin asked as he opened the door to his room.

"Are you sure Mai-chan is there already?" Madoka asked.

"I didn't see any sign that she walked out on Naru again," Lin answered.

Madoka turned to look at Lin – clearly annoyed. "Then why is that room so silent!" she hissed.

Lin stared at Madoka for a moment, before he burst into chuckles. "You're a bad influence to Noll," he said walking into his room.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Madoka said, following him.

Lin just laughed.

* * *

><p>Lin woke up that morning with the sound of something sizzling from the kitchen.<p>

He glanced at the alarm clock on his side table and frowned.

Why would Naru mess with the kitchen at four in the morning?

Lin sighed and slowly sneaked away from Madoka, who had turned him into her personal pillow that evening.

"Koujo..?" she grunted.

"I'm just going to the washroom," he said, kissing her cheek.

Madoka nodded – her eyes still shut – and snuggled close to Lin's pillow.

Lin got off the bed and hobbled to the door. He reached for his crutch.

They opened the office at nine in the morning so there was no reason why Noll would-

Lin froze as he opened the door, and the scent of stir-fried noodles touched his nose.

Naru didn't know how to cook stir-fried noodles or at least, he hadn't tried to cook it.

Lin closed the door behind him and quietly walked down the stairs.

"Why don't you just go back to bed?" he heard Mai's voice echo from the kitchen.

"Why don't **you** just go back to bed?" he heard Naru say. Naru didn't like waking up that early. "Lin's not going to poison your breakfast."

Lin raised a brow. Mai and Naru were in the kitchen. Mai was cooking something in the stove while Naru was sitting slouched on the kitchen isle.

"That's not the reason why I'm cooking this!" Mai hissed.

"I know," Naru said. "You're cooking that for him as a peace-offering. Why don't you just apologize to his face?"

"I did!" Mai snapped. "He still hasn't forgiven me."

Lin smirked. So it really bothered her that much?

"He will never forgive you if you mess up the kitchen," Naru said.

"I know how to use a kitchen," Mai said. "I know how to cook!" She swiftly took the stir-fried noodles out of the wok and placed it on a platter. She then gave it to Naru. "Try it."

"I'm a lab rat now?" Naru asked.

Mai scowled. "Can you just taste it for me? Please?"

"Where on earth did you even learn to cook this?" Naru asked before getting a pair of chopsticks and tasting the noodles.

"Well?" Mai asked, anxiously watch Naru chew on the food. "How is it?"

Naru placed his chopsticks down. "It's not poisonous."

Mai glared at Naru. "I'm not planning on killing him!"

"Which is good," Naru said.

Mai sighed and shook her head. "You **do not** make sense in the morning."

Naru smirked. "He's not going to like this when it's cold," he said. "You should have cooked this when he's already awake – which is an hour and half from now."

Mai looked at Naru. "Do you really think he'll like it?"

"I'm not him," Naru answered.

Mai sighed and started to wash the wok in the sink.

Naru looked at the stairs, knowing Lin was there. "I'm taking a shower," he said, jumping down from the kitchen isle and walking away from the kitchen.

Lin watched Naru walk up the stairs.

"Should I like it?" Lin asked as Naru passed beside him.

"I'm her boyfriend, not her lawyer," Naru said – his eyes fixed at the stairs.

Lin smirked.

So last night **did** end well.

* * *

><p>Mai heard someone clearing his throat a few steps behind her.<p>

It didn't sound like Naru so she stiffly turned around to see who it was. And just as she expected, Lin was there – looking at her in his robe and pyjamas.

"G-Good morning, Lin-san," Mai said, bowing at Lin. "I-I couldn't sleep anymore so… so I-"

Lin raised a brow at the plate of stir-fried noodles on the kitchen isle.

"Th-That's for you!" Mai said. She quickly handed him the platter and bowed again. "I'm really sorry for your leg and for everything else that I've done to offend you!"

Lin stared at Mai.

She really wasn't exaggerating about how affected she was at his actions.

Lin took the plate from Mai.

"U-um," Mai said looking anxiously down at the floor. "I-I'm going now," she said, walking quickly to the stairs.

"I'm a vegetarian," Lin said, just as Mai reached the fifth step of the stairs.

She froze.

Mai put chicken slices on the stir-fried noodles.

She gasped. "I'm so sorry Lin-san!" she said, quickly ran back down the stairs. She slipped on the third step of the stairs and tumbled down on the floor.

Lin froze.

"What happened?" Naru called, rushing down the stairs.

"What's going on?" Madoka said, running behind Noll.

They saw Mai on the floor, rubbing her behind.

"I'm okay," Mai said, wincing at the throbbing pain in her back.

"What happened?!" Madoka anxiously asked.

Naru sighed and walked casually down the stairs. "Get up, idiot," he said, lifting Mai from the floor.

"Why didn't you tell me he was a vegetarian?!" Mai hissed, frowning at Naru.

"I didn't say he wasn't," Naru said, holding her in his arms and climbing up the stairs.

Madoka and Lin watched Naru and Mai disappear into the second floor.

"What on earth just happened?" Madoka asked, walking down the stairs.

Lin smirked and looked down at the platter of food Mai cooked for him. "Do you think I'll need to perform exorcism rituals today?"

"I don't think so," Madoka said, walking to the kitchen. "If we do receive an interesting case today, we'll be gathering data first rather than perform an exorcism ritual."

Lin nodded and took the chopsticks Naru left on the plate.

…Just for that day.

* * *

><p>Mai still couldn't believe it.<p>

She was staring out at the window of the van, sitting beside Naru who had just told him about how Kaiba Takumi had been working for him.

Naru turned out to be the boss Takumi talked about when Mai met him in England. Takumi was Naru's safety net – his plan B in case Mai decided to go back to Japan!

Naru was also the one who funded Takumi's trip to Amsterdam – TO BLOODY AMSTERDAM! Naru knew Mai would crack at some point so he got Takumi there to make sure she reached Japan safely, and to make sure that she was in the care of a man Naru trusted.

**NARU HAD PLANNED HER EXPLOITS ALL ALONG!** She was like a child who thought she got lost inside a mall's department store, only to realize that her parents were just around the corner – watching over her.

**AND SHE WAS NOT A CHILD ANYMORE! AND NARU WAS NOT HER GUARDIAN!**

"And you want me to believe that you have nothing – **nothing** at all – to do with the incidents that led us to meet each other here in Japan," Mai said, rigid with mixed emotions – confusion, irritation, shock, embarrassment, happiness and disbelief.

"Not really," Naru said. "I don't believe it either."

Mai sighed, slamming her head on the dashboard of the van she was riding with Naru.

They were on the way to the university. Lin was kind enough to give Mai a ride. He and Naru were also on the way to the SPR office so he said Mai should just hitch a ride with them.

And Lin! How could she forget what Naru told her about Lin?! Lin looked so familiar to her because he was the "uncle" who was looking for Naru and Naru's "childhood sweetheart" in Amsterdam!

Lin Koujo **knew** her! And that was probably why Madoka seemed to know her too.

Sure she sprained Lin's leg or something, but he **lied** to her! Okay...maybe he still deserved to be mad at her, but couldn't she have a right to be mad at him too? ...For lying to her?

No..?

"You'll pay for damaging that," Naru said, turning a page of the portfolio he was reading.

Mai lifted her head and glared at Naru. "I hate you," she said.

"Sure," Naru said.

"I'm serious!"

"Uhuh," Naru replied.

Mai rolled her eyes and looked out at the window.

All this time, Naru had been more than just a stalker. He had been a scheming, manipulating kidnapper – an evil scientist who had resorted to forcing the woman he loved into loving him! …Not that the woman he loved didn't feel honoured at his evil pursuits. It just-

Mai sighed.

If Naru didn't go through all those horrible lengths to woe her, she wouldn't have the guts to admit that she loved him too. So did she really hate him for plotting those things and indirectly controlling her?

"I **so** want to hate you now," she muttered, thinking about just how stupid she really was.

"Of course you do," Naru said. "What time does your class end?"

"Like you don't already know," Mai mumbled.

"Good," Naru said. "I'll see you in the SPR office," he said, handing Mai a business card.

Mai raised a brow at him.

"We're in need of a part-time assistant," Naru said. "We'll negotiate the pay later."

Mai froze. "P-pay?"

"Salary," Naru said. "The money you get for working."

Mai glared at him. "I **know** that! That's not what I meant when I asked you the question!"

Naru looked at her. "You don't want to get paid?" he asked.

"I do! I do but… " Mai sighed and looked down at her hands. "I'll be working for you. Doesn't that seem…wrong..? I mean we're... uh... um-"

Lin bit his lips from smirking.

"It's not like I'm going to have a share with your funds," Naru said. "We'll do that when we've tied the knot. For now, you'll earn your own money."

"T-tied the knot..?" Mai asked – her cheeks flushed scarlet as she stared incredulously at Naru.

Lin was there for goodness' sake!

"Don't tell me you've forgotten that we're engaged," Naru said.

Mai buried her head on her lap, too embarrassed to let Lin see her face.

Lin coughed, smirking. "Your parents are going to love this," he said.

"I know," Naru said, smirking at Mai.

"**JERK!**" Mai squealed.

* * *

><p>"You're staying with Shibuya-san?!" Sho exclaimed, standing up from his seat.<p>

Mai winced, seeing some of the students walking around them stare at her and Sho.

They were under one of the tree shades in front of the psychology building, spending some of their free time for the day.

Sho saw the SPR van drop Mai off in front of the gate that morning. Curious, he asked her about it.

Mai didn't know how to tell Sho about what happened to her last night. He was still a guy after all. Girls don't usually share those things to male friends. So she tried to keep her mouth shut about it.

But Sho insisted that as her long-time friend, he had the right to know. So she gave in and told him about how she moved to Naru's place that evening, and how Naru had decided to make her a permanent resident of his house in Shibuya.

"What happened? Are you sure you want to stay with him? Are you sure he's not going to hurt your feelings or-"

"Sho-kun," Mai said, smirking at him. "The right question should be if **I** am not going to hurt him again."

Sho sighed. He had heard the story.

"He really loves you," he muttered, looking away and ignoring the pain he was feeling in his chest.

Mai sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "I feel like he does," she said. After all, Naru hadn't really told her he loved her. "I still find it unbelievable though."

Sho looked at her. "But you don't care anymore."

Mai smiled at him. "Yes," she said. "I guess it's something like that. I'm tired of running away from him. It's like…whenever I try to forget him completely... I just end up seeing him again. We parted here in Japan, but we met again in England. We parted in Amsterdam, but we met again here in Japan. It's insane!"

Sho smirked and sat down beside her. "Maybe you really **are** meant for each other."

Mai chuckled. "Whoever made us meant for each other must be out of his mind," she said. "I mean really – a handsome, well-off, brainiac jerk and a poor idiot?"

Sho chuckled and looked sadly at Mai. "If I asked you out on a date, would you have fallen for me?"

Mai froze and looked confused at Sho. "Wh-What?"

Sho chuckled. "I'm kidding! You should have seen your face," he said, poking Mai's nose.

Mai laughed and slapped his hand away. "You're crazy!"

Sho sighed and leaned his head closer to Mai's, kissing her forehead.

"Eh?" Mai muttered, looking confused at Sho.

"My parting gift," he said, looking out at the university grounds. "...To your singlehood."

Mai snickered. "So you'll give me another gift when my singlehood comes back?"

"No," Sho said sighing, before he looked at her and smiled. "I'll take you out to dinner."

* * *

><p>"How's your new place?" Mai heard a familiar voice as she walked to the gate. Sho had some group work to attend to so she decided to walk herself out of the university after all her classes that day was done.<p>

"Takumi-kun!" Mai greeted, running to meet him.

Takumi chuckled and leaned his weight against his car.

"Where have you been?" Mai asked, frowning at him. "I've been worried sick about you. You didn't return my calls."

Takumi shrugged his shoulders. "I helped some friends move into their new place," he said.

Mai snorted and acted irritated at Takumi. "You helped some friends move into a new place but you didn't help **me**," she muttered, looking away from him and folding her arms over her chest.

"I didn't think you needed me," Takumi said, smiling at her. "And besides, you've got a great house now, right?"

Mai froze – realization sipping through her thoughts. She looked at Takumi. "How... How did you know I moved out last night?"

Takumi chuckled. "Come on," he said, leaning away from his car. "I'll take you to the SPR office. That's where you're going now, right?"

Mai stared confused at Takumi but got on his car nonetheless.

* * *

><p>Naru looked at the books on the shelf.<p>

He and Lin had opened the office that morning and received a few inquiries. None of them seemed interesting enough or paranormal enough for an investigation though. Although most paranormal investigators jumped on every opportunity to get work on a case and get paid, Naru made it a point to be one of the few who didn't ask for payment unless the case needed to be investigated on, or the customer demanded for an investigation. And that demand came with the assurance that the customer would pay them whatever the result of the investigation was.

SPR after all, for Naru, wasn't just a business.

Naru heard a series of light knocks on the front door. He looked at the door and saw Masako, walking in.

"Good morning," Masako said. "I have a case I need some assistance with."

Naru nodded and took his notebook from the desk close to the bookshelf – the desk Mai was going to occupy as his part-time assistant.

"Have a seat," Naru said, sitting on the sofa chair.

Masako sat down. "If you wouldn't mind," she said. "I'd like to begin with something else I needed to talk to you about."

Naru looked at her.

Masako smiled. "It's true then, isn't it?" she asked. "You're together again?"

Naru looked down at his notebook. "Yes."

Masako nodded, smiling. "Congratulations!"

Naru looked up at her. "Thank you," he said. "...For helping."

Masako shrugged her shoulders. "I just tried to make her jealous – see if she was still in love with you," she said. "I don't think I helped you that much."

Naru smirked. "Oh you helped a lot," he said. "I wasn't planning on pursuing her after I saw her with that classmate of hers."

Masako chuckled. "She really brings a different side of you," she said. "I envy her. I know I shouldn't, but I still do. Don't worry though. I'm not going to get in the way of your love story – not anymore."

Naru nodded, looking down at his notebook.

Masako took a deep breath. "Thank you," she said.

Naru looked at her.

"...For making me your friend," Masako said, smiling at him.

* * *

><p>Mai stared at Takumi.<p>

They had been silent on the way to town, and she didn't like it.

"Takumi-kun," Mai said.

Takumi just smiled.

"You said you had 'a lot' to do with what's been going on," she continued.

"That's right," Takumi said.

Mai frowned. "Care to elaborate?"

Takumi chuckled. "I thought Naru already told you about it."

Mai glared at him. "I want **your** side of the story."

Takumi sighed. "You really didn't figure it out, did you?"

Mai looked away. "I know I'm not that smart so just tell me already!"

Takumi chuckled. "Alright, I'll tell you," he said. "I'll begin with our return here in Japan since you already know about Amsterdam."

"How you gave me the option to go back to Japan, yeah," Mai muttered.

"That wasn't just because Naru hired me though," Takumi said.

Mai looked at him.

Takumi smiled. "I really wanted you to choose Japan over Amsterdam – choose **me** over Naru."

Mai stared confused at him.

"I wasn't kidding when I said I love you, you know," Takumi casually said.

Mai froze. Right...How could she forget? Takumi liked her.

"I tried to get you – to fight for you," Takumi said. "Only to realize that wasn't how love was supposed to go. You were supposed to be so selfish when you're in love, that you become unselfish."

He glanced at Mai. "And that was what Naru did with you – he let you go to me."

Mai didn't know how to react. She didn't know what to say.

To think the selfish jerk became unselfish was... Takumi was right. The whole time Naru was scheming, making that safety net, putting Mai in Takumi's hands – he must have been hoping that she would keep choosing him over Takumi. Naru must have been pained at the thought of Takumi so close to Mai, but he gave her the freedom to be with Takumi.

"I planned a future for us," Takumi said, looking at the road. "You'll go to college. I'll help you with the finances. We'll stay in the apartment."

Mai looked down at her hands. Why didn't she see all those things? Why didn't she notice Takumi's efforts?

"Hey," Takumi said, patting Mai's hands. "You didn't do anything wrong."

Mai looked up at him. "Why didn't I just fall for you?"

"I know! Annoying, isn't it?" Takumi said, chuckling. "I think that's just it though – you really can't fall for me. You want to know why?"

Mai nodded.

Takumi glanced at Mai. "You're destined for someone greater than me – someone who's more head over heels in love with you than me."

Mai chuckled. "Naru?"

"Why else did you think he made those complex schemes?" Takumi asked, smiling.

Mai shrugged her shoulders and looked out at the window. "He... He hasn't told me," she whispered.

"That he loves you?" Takumi asked. "I don't think he's that good with spewing his insides."

Mai looked at him. "What about Masako?"

"Hara Masako? What about her?"

Mai looked shyly at the road ahead. "They seem... close."

Takumi burst into laughter. "You really **were** jealous of her!"

"No, I wasn't!" Mai said – frowning with her cheeks flushed red.

Takumi chuckled. "Naru needed some push to go with my plan," he said. "I set up everything – the school you got your scholarship from, the place you were staying in, the loss of your apartment unit..."

"You made me lose my apartment?!"

Takumi shrugged his shoulders. "It was the only way to get you to Naru's house."

Mai frowned.

"Then that Sho came along," Takumi said. "He almost ruined everything."

"Sho-kun?" Mai asked, puzzled.

"Yes," he said. "That accident of yours in the abandoned building wasn't the first time Naru saw you. I've taken him to the university before the headmaster employed him for the case. And when he saw you, you were happily chatting with your classmate, who was **obviously** crazy about you."

"**WHAT?!** Sho-kun?! **NO WAY!** When was that anyway? You didn't tell me Naru was there?!"

Takumi chuckled. "You were so into Sho-kun's stories, we didn't want to disturb you."

"But that's Naru!"

Takumi laughed. "Anyway, long story short, Naru thought you've moved on," he said. "And he didn't want to bother you anymore. After all, you **did** decide to leave him alone."

"I was thinking about his well being!" Mai said, looking away – her cheeks red.

"Sure you were," Takumi said. "Of course Naru's backing down would ruin my plan so I made a deal with him. I told him that if I could prove to him you weren't over him yet, he would go along with my plan. If I fail, he could back to England and work his arse off."

"He was planning to go back to England?" Mai asked, surprised. Naru hadn't told her that much. Come to think of it, he hadn't told her how long he and Lin had been staying in Japan either!

"After they've set up a stable SPR office here, yes," Takumi answered. "...And I just couldn't let that happen. Luckily, Hara-san lent Naru and I a hand. She offered to make you express your feelings for Naru – not just your guilt."

Mai stiffened. "A-And that w-was how..?"

Takumi laughed. "She promised to tease you – make you jealous," he said.

Mai's jaw dropped. Images of Masako flirting with Naru while working on the case flashed into her mind. All those irritating attempts of the medium to get Naru's attention, all those cursed gestures she made to Naru, all those conversations she had with Naru that made her look so special to him...

Takumi patted Mai's head. "And with Ayako and Takigawa's help, we saw just how affected you are at the thought of Naru moving on with another woman."

Mai stiffly looked away.

Ayako and Takigawa were in on the plan too?! And to think she decided to call Ayako "Matsuzaki-san" out of motherly respect!

"I can't believe I trusted you!" she finally said. "I can't believe I trusted **all** of you! Yasuhara and Brown-san were in on this too?"

"They didn't play an active part but yes," Takumi answered. "They knew what was going on."

"**I HATE YOU!**" Mai said, covering her face with her hands.

"You don't mean that," Takumi said, snickering. "Look at the bright side – you're with him again."

Mai took a deep breath and sighed. When she felt calmer, she dropped her hands on her lap. "So you planned the case too, huh?"

"Oh no," Takumi answered. "That was a bonus. I was planning on setting you two up on a date. But your danger-magnet gift kicked in and woila! I got Naru to meet you in the university, without any hint that it was all set up!"

Mai looked at Takumi sighing. "And I thought Naru's scheming was scary," she muttered.

Takumi chuckled. "Oh Mai-chan," he said. "I only learned from the best."

Takumi stopped the car in front of a café.

Mai looked out the window, wondering why they stopped there.

"That's the SPR office," Takumi said, pointing at the floor above the café. The café turned out to be a floor in a building. A concrete stairs stretched up to the second floor where Takumi said the SPR office was.

"Wow," Mai said. She thought the office would be in a high-end building, with sleek doors and scary elevators.

"They serve great food in that café," Takumi said. "You can go ahead and check the office out. I'll just park my car."

"Okay," Mai said, nodding. "Thanks!"

She stepped out of the car and walked up the stairs. And sure enough a door was at the end. It had "SPR" on it – Shibuya Psychic Research.

So Naru still didn't want people to know about his connection with the Society for Psychical Research. Well, he did use Shibuya Kazuya in the case on the abandoned school building. Perhaps he didn't want the people to know that Dr. Oliver Davis was working in Japan. After all, it would most likely make quite a ruckus if people who knew about him learned that he was there.

Mai knocked on the door, but no one opened it. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Good afternoon," she said, looking into the room beyond the door.

To her surprise, the SPR team and two other people were gathered inside. Ayako, Takigawa, Yasuhara, Masako and John were seated on the couch and sofa chairs. Lin, Madoka, Naru and two guests were standing on the space beside the reception area.

Mai stiffened. Blood quickly filled her cheeks as a realization of what was going on sunk in.

She arrived at the wrong time of the day.

"Mai-chan!" Madoka quickly greeted, pulling Mai into the room. "You're just in time!"

"I-I'm sorry..?" Mai said, looking confused at Madoka.

Madoka pulled her to face the guests – a Caucasian couple who seemed to have aged beautifully through the years. They were both smiling at her and one of them, a tall blonde-haired man, reminded her of something that happened in Amsterdam.

"Mother," Naru said in English, looking at the Caucasian woman. "Father," he said, turning to the Caucasian man. "This is Mai Taniyama." Naru looked at her.

And then it clicked. Mai froze.

The man... the Caucasian man was the man in the park who was looking for his son...

Alarm, shock, shame and fright drained the colour from Mai's face as she laid eyes at the smiling man in front of her.

"You-You're-" she mumbled in Japanese.

Naru's father chuckled, and winked at Mai. "Don't worry," he said in Japanese. "That's our little secret."

"What is that about?" Naru's mother asked, looking curiously at Mai and her husband.

"Mai," Naru said, breaking Mai's stupor. "These are my parents – Martin and Luella Davis."

"It's an honour to finally meet you, dear," Luella said in fluent Japanese, pulling Mai into a tight embrace. "We've heard so many great things about you!"

"G-great...things..?" Mai found herself mumbling – still shocked at what was going on.

From what she had seen in the few movies, and programs on TV, meeting your boyfriend's parents required an invitation to dine with them, where the girlfriend was given ample time to make herself look presentable to her lover's family.

...Not meet them the way she was meeting Naru's parents at that very moment!

"I'm terribly sorry for how my son must have been treating you," Luella said as she leaned away and looked at Mai. "He's a bit rough on the edges so if he does annoy the hell out of you, don't be afraid to tell me." Luella winked. "We'll teach him a lesson," she whispered.

Mai's jaw dropped.

It was like she was talking to one of those ideal mothers-in-law in the movies!

"I'm sorry for all the trouble my decisions had caused your relationship," Martin said, bowing to Mai. "I should have known better. I know now that my son is in good hands."

Mai just froze – staring shocked at Naru's father.

Lin was coughing to keep him composed. Madoka was giggling. Ayako and Takigawa were snickering. Yasuhara and John were smiling. Masako was sighing.

"Why don't you two take a seat," Naru said, suddenly standing beside Mai. "Mai will prepare the tea."

"Oh! Lovely!" Luella said, taking a seat beside Ayako. Martin sat beside her.

Mai looked frantically at Naru.

"I think we surprised your daughter," she heard Luella whisper to Ayako in Japanese.

"Nonsense," Mai heard Ayako reply. "She's going to be your daughter too."

* * *

><p>Naru led Mai into the kitchen while Lin and Madoka took their seats in the reception area.<p>

"H-Honey, lemon or sugar?" Mai asked – her mind suddenly blank.

"Just whip up the tea you always make for me," Naru answered.

Mai nodded and went on to work. Preparing the tea calmed her nerves and cleared her head. "You should have told me your parents are here," she hissed. "Can you all just stop scheming behind my back for once?!"

"You're not the only one who didn't get the memo," Naru said, leaning against the counter while he watched her prepare the tea.

Mai took a deep breath and sighed.

...Right. Naru also didn't seem like he knew his parents were visiting. He was the only one in the room who was standing rigidly earlier.

"And to think I chose this time to not comb my hair," Mai muttered. "Or spray some cologne." She sniffed her armpit. "You could've told me to go home first and fix myself before I come here."

Naru smirked. "Where is 'home'?"

Mai looked confused at Naru. "Your house..?"

Naru chuckled.

Mai frowned. "Wait," she said. "Was that supposed to be a rhetorical question?"

Naru shrugged his shoulders.

"Why are you asking me this?" she said, narrowing her eyes at Naru.

Naru sighed and looked at the floor. "So you call my house your 'home.'"

"Well," Mai said, looking shyly away. "You said I live there now."

Naru nodded. "But a house isn't exactly a home," he said, looking up at Mai.

"It is when it makes staying there makes you happy," Mai answered, looking at Naru.

"Are you happy?"

Mai smiled, ignoring how disgusting their conversation was going. "Yes," she answered. "I am very happy."

Naru sighed and shook his head.

Mai looked down at the cups she set on the counter. "Go on ahead," she said. "I can handle this."

"I know," Naru said, leaning away from the counter.

Mai frowned. "Jerk," she spat.

Naru smirked and walked toward her.

"I know, I know," Mai said, waving her hand at him. "I'm an idiot."

Naru leaned down and kissed her cheek.

Mai froze.

"I was going to tell you that I love you," Naru whispered. "But if you prefer that I call you 'idiot,' I'll be more than happy to oblige – Idiot."

Naru walked out of the kitchen, leaving a petrified and flushed scarlet Mai in his wake.

The kettle whistled and Mai awoke from her frozen state. She quickly turned the stove off, silencing the kettle.

Naru told her he loved her, right? He did, didn't he?

Mai looked at the door of the kitchen and listened to Naru as he asked his parents about how long they were planning to stay in Japan.

His question rang in her mind.

Where **is **home?

Mai sighed and started pouring water on the tea cups.

* * *

><p>Everyone, except for Naru was laughing, or in Lin's case – snickering, at a joke Takigawa made. Takumi, who took a seat next to Lin was contributing to the lively conversation when Mai walked out of the kitchen with the tray of tea.<p>

"Tea's ready," she said, setting the tea on the centre table.

Naru watched her distribute the tea to everyone... watched her smile warmly at his parents like she had loved and known them all her life... watched his parents do the same toward her... watched everyone in the room fit into a blissful picture...

Naru looked at his reflection on his cup of tea and smiled. He slowly raised his cup to his lips, wanting to enjoy his tea in the midst of the noise, when he noticed the left eye on his reflection wink.

He frowned. "Oh for goodness' sake," he hissed. "Move on!"

"Move on?" he heard Mai ask.

Naru looked at her. So she had finished distributing the tea.

"You...want me to move on?" Mai asked, puzzled.

"No," Naru said. "I said move **here**," he said, pulling her to stand beside him since the couch was full. "Tea?" he said, offering his cup to Mai.

"Oh right! I forgot to make tea for myself," Mai whispered, taking the cup in her hands. She took a sip of the tea and sighed as its warmth slid down her throat.

"So when's the wedding?" Yasuhara asked, in the midst of noise and laughter.

"Indeed!" Luella exclaimed. She turned to Naru. "When **is** the wedding? And the reception! Are you going to do the reception here?"

Mai almost dropped the tea-cup on the floor. "We-Wedding?" she asked, her cheeks flushed.

Naru sighed. "Mother," he said in a reprimanding tone. "I haven't even given her the Davis engagement ring."

* * *

><p><em>Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing "Where is home?" and the whole GH AU fanfic trilogy I made here in <em>^ v ^

_It's really been one grand experience! You've all been such awesome readers. You've really taught me a lot. I'm still working on the ebook copies of the fanfic. I'll just post a note here or in the other installments of this fanfic when it's done. _

_And yes, this is the last chapter for "Where is home?" Thank you all so much again! _* v *

_P. S._

_I only write prologues, not epilogues. _

_Tah! _^ v ^


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